Chrysanthemum
by kaitothegreat
Summary: Skipping to the present, everyone around Kaito was getting their desired, happily ever afters. As for him, well... He was just left behind, that's all.
1. Chapter 1

Chrysanthemum (1)

Skipping to the present, everyone around Kaito was getting their desired, happily ever afters. As for him, well... He was just left behind, that's all.

* * *

On one cold November night, Shinichi walked across the vast roof with a letter in his hand. He reached the end and stood by the cool metal railing, watching the stars that Kaitou Kid was immensely admiring before he decided he wasn't one to appreciate the sky and handed the envelope over to the thief.

Sitting on the edge of the railings, Kaitou Kid's legs swung in the air and nonchalantly took the paper with ease. He skilfully whisked out the content and read, his eyes widened dramatically.

"Oh! Someone's getting laid soon!"

Shinichi smiled wryly in return.

Other than the appearance of who he was now, Shinichi gave Kaitou Kid a choice to either show as his true citizen-self, or disguise as someone unrelated to come to his wedding. The groom-to-be didn't want to cause any form of disturbance or distraction on his big day.

Of course Kuroba Kaito wouldn't appear as himself, what a stupid thing to even suggest. Besides, he'll probably create a bigger ruckus if he did, with his face so similar to the Detective of the East. But _that_ was something he didn't intend to tell. Kaitou Kid effortlessly lifted himself up and stood on the railings, his figure towering over his rival.

Shinichi knew it was sign of departure. "So are you going to attend?"

"We'll see."

Kaitou Kid gracefully bowed and swiftly slipped the invitation into one of the dozen hidden pockets in his suit. He gave a casual salute, tipped back and let himself fall. In mere seconds, his fluttering cape turned into white wings that glided him through the night.

.o.

Kuroba Kaito came to the wedding, not as promise, but out of curiosity. He donned an appearance of Shinichi's distant friend, one who coincidentally had a stomach flu that day. He blended in perfectly, though there were times he had to pretend to leave for a toilet break just to get away from those thirsty single ladies. Maybe it was a wrong choice to choose a handsome man as a target for disguise.

The ceremony finally commenced and everyone headed inside the church to take their seats. It wasn't long when the door burst open and he watched the ever familiar Mouri Ran, her arm hooked around Sleeping Kogoro's as they walked down the aisle to the front of the church. Shinichi was standing before the priest, trying hard to keep his cool while his eyes were brimming with tears of joy. Kaito would have laughed, but he understood why. The bride looked practically like an angel.

He spotted several familiar faces around, which he tried his best to avoid during the pre-ceremony. Hattori Heiji was standing beside Toyama Kazuha, the latter currently sobbing into his sleeve. His observant eyes spotted the similar ring necklaces hanging around both of their necks and Kaito guessed it wouldn't be long seeing them repeating the same event as now.

Hakuba Saguru was present too, sitting two rows in front of him. Kaito knew he had been flying in between countries to juggle his detective work in Japan and to spend time at England with his girlfriend of four years. His attentive ears managed to pick up information from several conversations that Hakuba was discussing a permanent transfer over to England because he thought he should settle down soon. Good for him.

All these white and bright coloured decorations today suddenly reminded Kaito of a complete contrast wedding invitation he received from Akako a few months ago, with the aid of a crow. The letter was glittered with black shiny dusts and words that glowed mysteriously, stating the date and venue of the ceremony (He was pretty sure the address didn't belong to Earth). He wrote his wishes and apologies that he couldn't make it and let the crow deliver back his reply. A week later, he received a photo of Akako and her husband standing in the middle of a dark forest, with a message written in glittering gold; _Goodbye Loser._

The sudden claps and cheers snapped Kaito back to reality as he glanced around before his eyes set upon the bride and the groom exchanging a passionate kiss. A small smile tugged onto his lips and his hands came together, joining everyone's excited and joyful act of blessing. A pity he didn't hear the wedding vows, but it didn't matter.

It was a perfect closure, so many happily ever afters.

Everyone got their desired endings. He's just left behind, that's all.

* * *

Hello once again, I hope you guys aren't bored with my name appearing on fanfiction's story lists these days. Here's a time-skip multi-chap I'm working on that takes place after Shinichi managed to get back his body and destroy **_his_** black organization after a couple of years, whereas Kaito is still sticking to his duty of finding Pandora and planning Snake's downfall, a complete different organization from Shinichi's.

As stated, this will be a Romance/Drama story, not Mystery/Crime or Adventure so I won't be focusing much on the bad guys (like usual) but develop Aoko's and Kaito's relationship in the future.

More will be explained, well, if you're willing to stick with me till the end of the story haha. Thanks for reading and reviews are appreciated :)


	2. Chapter 2

Chrysanthemum (2)

* * *

There was no where that provided the best wine Aoko always needed, other than the bar belonging to her life-time business partner, Jii-chan. For next month's list of new recipes to teach her students, Aoko decided to add chocolate-cheese wine cake to her draft, an idea she had never tried. So here she was, finding suitable wines from the storage room behind Jii's bar and trying to get the perfect fit so she could test out her baking skills before she confirmed her teaching materials.

Aoko was unusually picky that day. After placing the eleventh bottle back to its rack, she found herself at the corner of the room, a part where she rarely reached since she usually found what she wanted at the beginning of her search. Her eyes drifted across the cork of the bottles, until she stopped her gaze on a particular one that looked a little strange. She would have missed it if she didn't handle wine bottles frequently for other baking recipes.

Her fingers softly caressed the tip of the cork and not-so-surprisingly felt a little bump coming out from it. Aoko scoffed, feeling a sense of Déjà vu overwhelming her. She sent a little effort to her thumb and the button-like bulge disappeared, instead, a small rumbling sound echoed softly and the racks that was previously standing tall flipped to its side, creating an opening to the hidden room behind it.

She sighed out loud.

It would be a lie if she said she wasn't interested or curious about her unintentional findings. But she definitely knew one thing about this room she was about to step in; it had something to do with Kaitou Kid.

Aoko realized the truth two years ago after Kaitou Kid, or rather Kuroba Kaito landed himself in the hospital with a gunshot wound that nearly paralyze his entire body if it was just an inch closer to his spine. And it wasn't any kind of aim from anyone. It was a fatal blow originally meant for Aoko's heart, and Kaitou Kid protected her from getting shot by those bad guys she had accidentally crossed path with.

It was easy to link everything once her boyfriend suddenly disappeared for one whole month, the exact period when Kaitou Kid was lying in the hospital bed. And perhaps with some _helpful_ work of fate, her dangerous strength ultimately unraveled all the secrets behind the portrait of Kaito's father when she had anxiously _and_ accidentally threw a pillow at it to vent her frustration of worrying about _where the hell Bakaito went_ for the entire period.

A month later, Kaitou Kid woke up. A month and a half later, Kuroba Kaito appeared at the doorsteps of her house.

He said he was sorry. And he feared her safety.

She said she needed time. And she wanted to be alone.

Aoko moved to town, far away from her old and quiet neighborhood. In the end, she quitted her job as a police-in-training belonging to Division 2 Kaitou Kid's squad to a baking teacher.

Those memories were put to a stop when she felt a cringe in her chest. Two years had passed but the pain hadn't lessened and Aoko was frustrated about herself for being such an emotional-wreck even after so long.

Shaking her head to brush off her negativity, she poked her head into the dim-lit room, her eyes scanning across the fanciful equipment that Aoko had seen at least once in certain occasion of Kaitou Kid's heist.

There was the legendary card-gun that Kaitou Kid always used, parts all came apart with screws and fixing tools lying around it on the table. A few smokes bombs here and there, night goggles, rope launcher and many more other gadgets, which Aoko couldn't bother to guess or remember its purposes. She strolled around the big table in the middle of the room, deciding it wasn't a place for her to stay until her eyes fell upon an opened white box that contained six blue balls. Aoko had never seen it before, and something about it captivated her to stop and look.

Her fingers reached out for one of the blue balls and she picked it up, inspecting it for a second. Aoko felt there was something protruding out from behind the ball and she turned it around to look, to realize there was indeed a button like she suspected. She rolled her eyes, wondering if buttons and switches were currently a trend for stupid thieves or people with secret identities and some sort. Wow, what a coincidence. Kaitou Kid fitted both description.

Just as when she was about to put the ball back to its place, her fingers grasped it a little too hard and accidentally pressed the switch. She gasped out loud and closed her eyes, the ball slipped from her hand and fell onto the ground. A few seconds passed and Aoko was half-expecting sleeping gas or candyfloss to burst out from it, but nothing happened.

She frowned and picked it up, her fingers wrapping around it tentatively. This time, she could hear a soft beeping coming from the orb in her hand and she tilted it around, a little puzzled at the source of the sound before she noted a red figure appearing at one side ball.

 _4_

 _3_

 _2_

Realization finally dawned upon her, and it would have been too late if it wasn't for a hand that suddenly clutched around hers. She felt one of her fingers pressed the switch again, and the countdown stopped like what Aoko had been inwardly praying.

"Don't release it." A soft whisper hushed into her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

Aoko whirled her head around, her face almost hitting the cheeks of the man that was standing closely beside her. She took in a deep breath and regretted instantly as her lungs was filled with the comfortable and soothing scent that calmed her nerves magically, an effect that Aoko thought it was no different from an addictive drug. She thought she had finally gotten rid of her obsession, but it turned out to be a pretense she had been forcing herself to feel.

Kuroba Kaito glanced down at her, his eyes showing the same, unreadable emotions he gave to her when she came to realize the truth. They both turned away from each other in sync, their attention set upon the red numbered _1_ in their hands.

"What if... I've re-released i-it?" Aoko finally mustered enough energy to speak.

"What do you think?"

"Just my luck. _Just my luck!"_ She gave an irritated growl.

"Why are you in here?" He said, in a surprisingly calm tone.

Aoko gritted her teeth. "Is this conversation appropriate _now_?"

She could almost feel his smirk beside her ear. "Jii-chan needs to up his game with the secret switch."

"That's none of my business."

"Move your hand aside. I'll hold the button."

Her mood changed drastically, from her angry scowl to nervous, quivering lips. "I-I can't." She gulped. "My hand is too numb."

He shifted his fingers, gently brushing across her skin and transferring his warmth onto her cool and trembling hand. Slowly and steadily, he successfully adjusted his thumb onto the button, though her hand was still around the bomb.

"Get out to safety."

She gaped at him, eyes widened in horror. "I'm _not_ going to leave you here."

Kaito stared at her. "I know how to deal with this."

"I don't care if you do or do not know. I-I'm not going to leave you here _alone_."

He gave a defeated sigh. "Can't you let me win an argument? Just once?"

"It's not about winning an argument! I want both of us to-"

Aoko had no idea how and why, but in that split second when her sentence was halfway done, the bomb abruptly fell out from their hands. Time magically stood still in that instant, and all Aoko could do was to give the loudest shout her voice would allow, squeeze her eyes shut and pounce straight into Kaito's chest. She felt herself turn, not to her willing but due to Kaito's firm and strong hands that spun her away from danger as he protected her using his body instead.

Every single thing around her rapidly skipped back to the event when she remembered hearing gunshots ringing in the air, a cape fluttering before her and all the white things she saw of Kaitou Kid became red.

And then there were her tears, pouring out like rainfall.

And then nothing else.

Her nose twitched, brows furrowed and her eyes slowly fluttered open. She was expecting fire, or _at least_ explosion dusts to engulf her body. But there was none, and the only thing she could feel was a familiar yet distant form of warmness seeping through her clothing. The unusual silence was so loud that Aoko could hear the beating of her own heart thumping in her ears.

She hesitantly moved back, her face left the strong scent of Kaito's clothes and the first thing that welcomed her sight was his smile and eyes that contained not a trace of mockery. They stared at each other for an eternity before Kaito ended the silence with his soft voice.

"How have you been?"

It took her three seconds to understand what the hell just happened and her hands instantly slapped his chest a couple of times till he finally broke the embrace between them.

"You- You stupid- Stupid idiot! You tricked me!"

"Sorry- Ouch, ouch- I'm sorry."

"Do you like to see me suffer? Do you enjoy it so much?!"

Kaito's face left no signs of happiness from before. His lips were now pursed, eyes hardened. "I just thought-" He lowered his head. "I shouldn't have scared you. I'm sorry."

Hot tears threatened to fill her eyes and she wiped them furiously before the water flowed. She didn't want to let him know she was about to cry, though her actions were making things more obvious than ever.

"How have I been? I've always been fine, till I met you again today." Aoko bit the inside of her cheeks, trying to pretend the brief moment when Kaito widened his eyes didn't happen. Taking a deep breath, she stomped out of the room without looking at her back once.

It broke her to see him. It broke her to see him sad. It broke her to remember the scene when Kaitou Kid was dying in her arms.

Aoko dashed out of Jii's bar and down the streets, hoping the little run would help to keep certain things off her mind.

If only love was just like an appendix, able to be removed as and when it caused pain... Things would have been much easier for her to bear. But it wasn't, she couldn't and she had no other way.

.o.

"Here's the bombs you asked for."

Kaito picked the blue balls from the white box, scrutinizing it carefully until he was satisfied. He glanced at Jii, eyebrows slightly raised. "The range?"

"As specific as you requested."

He nodded and closed the carton, patting the cover like a baby. "Thanks."

"I'm sorry Kaito-botchama." Jii sighed after a pause. "About the incident last week."

Kaito straightened his posture, letting the memories flow in. He tried to remember Aoko's fragrance and the cute little brows that furrowed when she looked scared, but those thoughts were gone when the words she screamed at him came back like a slap to his face. He waved a hand nonchalantly.

"I should count myself lucky that those were prototypes you made and not the real ones."

"But Aoko-chan misunderstood and thought you pranked her."

"It's alright." Kaito felt the edge of the box and stopped at the sharp tip. If only he could control his swirling emotions as easy as self-inflicted pains. "Maybe it's better if she thought I tricked her, rather than knowing what kind of possible danger she almost landed herself into. Her anger always subsides easier than worries."

Jii went silent and Kaito took the chance to leave. He ensured the seal was tight and stuck the box in between his arms, ready to go when Jii spoke once again, stopping him in his tracks.

"Are you going to always keep up like this?"

Kaito peered over his shoulder. He had a feeling the answer would be one he didn't want to reply. "Like what?"

"Being strangers with Aoko-chan."

"Aoko's never safe around me." Kaito looked away. "And perhaps I'm her jinx. Last week's incident proved my point."

He now understood the saying of how _truth hurts_.

"But you protected her even when-"

"I'm not a superhero, Jii-chan." He whispered to the air. "I'm just a ghost of a phantom thief."

That being said, he walked out of the hidden room and left the poor old man alone. It was an ass of him to do that to Jii when the latter had took care of him since forever, but Kaito needed some time to himself, a place where Aoko's tears wouldn't haunt his mind.

* * *

 _A soft chant echoed from the distance *angst angst angst angst*_  
Grateful for all the kind words! I hope the heavily informative chapter didn't disappoint.  
Thanks for reading and reviews are appreciated :)


	3. Chapter 3

Chrysanthemum (3)

* * *

In a cafe located on the highest floor of the building just beside the famous cross junction of Kinza street, Kaito eyed down at the hundreds of people crossing the road while he tapped his pen rhythmically on the table. Sitting at his chosen position by the viewing glass window, he only needed a glance to see the entire area at one go and it was basically the perfect place for him to finalize the plans for his heist occurring tomorrow night.

He took a sip off his coffee and scrutinized his sketch again, being in the midst of wondering if there was anything to add when he noted two ladies and a waiter approaching to his direction and sat on a table that was around 10 o' clock of his spot. It wasn't surprising for him to see two girls resting their legs after a shopping spree in such a nice cafe, but the problem now was they weren't _any_ girls.

"This is gorgeous!"

"As recommended! I wonder if those pastries I've learnt to make from the baking lessons were even half of the standards here."

"Kudo-kun wouldn't dare to say no to ya."

"You're probably right."

Their joint laughter filled the air.

Kaito pinched the bridge of his nose and tilted his head away. What a joy, meeting the women belonging to two detectives he didn't want to see, at least as his true form. This must be the twisted karma for the spider he killed at home. It must be it. He noted there were two empty chairs before them and silently prayed to himself it wasn't the worst case scenario that just flashed across his mind.

When the thought finished in his head, he heard a faint, soft voice coming from the entrance.

"I'm sorry I'm late. Caught up in a class."

"It's fine." Ran waved a hand. "We've just reached anyway."

He heard a chair being dragged and his eyes moved to the reflection of the glass window, perfectly showing who the third person that came was. On the cue, he widened his eyes, the pen slipped out from his hand as he watched Aoko swiping her hair off her shoulders and giving a smile he never think he would ever see again. Wanting to confirm that it wasn't a delusion, Kaito snapped his neck to his side. Apparently his eyes didn't lie.

 _What a joke._ He muttered in his mind, but his gaze refused to look any other way. _Just when I wanted-_

"Here's the catalogue." Aoko showed a book over to Kazuha as the latter merrily accepted it. She read each pages with glee and occasionally pointed at one before commenting over to Ran.

"I can't pick ya." Kazuha groaned. "All of it is so pretty."

"Ah, this is the one Shinichi and I choose for our wedding!" Ran gestured at a page. "Everyone said the macaroons tasted really good."

Aoko beamed. "I'm glad the dessert table was well-received."

 _Oh._ Kaito blinked. Those macaroons he tried back then really tasted perfect. He didn't know it was made by...

He looked back at the paper on his table, deciding he had stayed long enough for a cup of coffee and should leave. Besides, it would be best if he wasn't spotted or _unintentionally_ recognized, especially when his face looked so similar to _one_ of their husband. And most importantly, he would rather die than see Aoko's current brilliance to disappear.

Taking the last gulp of his drink, Kaito stuffed his belongings into his pockets, signaled for the bill and took a longer route to the entrance of the cafe, just to avoid passing by the table of the three.

.o.

The night class ended a tad later than Aoko expected, and being in charge of closing up today, it was near midnight when she finally left the baking studio.

Aoko closed the glass door and kept the keys safely inside her sling-bag before turning to trudge down the quiet dark street. Knowing her way home by heart, she took out her phone and browsed through her social media to keep herself occupied. It seemed Keiko ate BBQ today and Sayaka went to Tropical Land with her boyfriend. She smiled at the pictures and happy captions, until her finger scrolled and hovered over the Japan's News page, which she followed to keep herself up to date.

 ** _Kaitou Kid have claimed the Crystal Angel!_** _Posted ten minutes ago._

Her smile faltered and she stopped in her tracks, her eyes scanning through the sentence over and over till the words became blur. It took her nearly ten seconds to get her legs moving again and she switched her phone off and placed it back into her bag, no longer interested in anything else but to get herself home.

For the sake of forgetting, Aoko moved to town and far away from her past. But no matter what, Kuroba Kaito-u Kid always lingered like a ghost around her. The chants from the television, the newspapers' headlines, the social medias, the gossips and whispers from his fans on the streets... Nothing had changed.

Aoko pursed her lips, her stride grew a little faster. She really needed a long bath tonight.

The checklist she nicely planned in her head instantly disappeared when she felt a hand grabbed one of her arms, pulling her into a dark alley that she passed by a millisecond ago. Her intended shouts were muffled as the same hand that dragged and shoved her against the wall covered her mouth.

Although two years had passed, Aoko hadn't forgotten the lessons she got while she was at the Police Academy, all trained and ready to be deployed to Division 2. She swiftly wrapped her hands around the hand over her mouth and twisted, earning a short yelp from her attacker. She was about to restrain his arm and tackle him to the ground when a cool metal suddenly pressed against her neck, forcing her back onto the walls instead.

"Move an inch or make a noise and I'll kill you."

Though the attacker couldn't be seen in the dark, the knife stuck on her neck glimmered brightly enough to let her know it wasn't a joke. She swallowed hard, her throat briefly touched the blade when she did. Having no choice, her hands slowly unwrapped the man's wrist that wasn't holding the knife and let her arms fell to her side.

"Give me all your valuables if you don't want to die." He hushed.

"I can't-" The knife threateningly poked a little deeper and she winced. "I-I can't move when you're holding me in this position."

The attacker wasn't stupid. "Drop your bag."

Aoko cautiously lifted an arm, preparing to unhook the sling bag around her body when she took the chance that the knife left her neck for a moment and head-butted the thief. She groaned inwardly at the throbbing pain on her head, but it was the same for him. He clutched his head, yowling and cursing and Aoko took the chance to escape while shouting for help.

There was no way in hell she would let herself be robbed when she was _not-so-officially-but-nearly-became_ a policewoman dispatched to Kaitou Kid's squad, furthermore being the daughter of the Inspector belonging to that department. It wouldn't be a disgrace to herself, but her father too.

Though perhaps, those righteous thoughts in her mind would be the reason why her life ended today, in addition of the stubbornness and recklessness genes she inherited from her father. Before she managed to step out of the darkness and onto the pavement to get help, Aoko felt her hair being yanked back and she slammed right onto the ground, her bag flew out of her reach. It took her a second to regain her composure so she could stand up, and it was that one second that determined everything.

When she saw the knife hanging over her head, her blue eyes widened to the point it could have fallen out at the moment. She remembered someone once told her that _when we die, our life would flash across our eyes_ and it happened to be true. Aoko had forgotten what kind of life she had been living all these while, but there was only one thing that appeared in her vision, thought it wasn't exactly wrong either.

Kuroba Kaito.

Aoko's scream blasted through the dark alley, all prepared for the blow. But the pain didn't come and instead, she heard a sharp sound of wind, along with a growl and metal clanking onto the ground. She tentatively peeled open her eyes, which she didn't even know she had closed them the entire time and witnessed the attacker charging to the direction of her back. She twisted her head with all the energy she had and saw the robber pulling out another knife he hidden in his back pocket and slashed his way out.

The new intruder barely dodged and gave a couple of fast blow that Aoko couldn't catch up with until the second knife finally dropped. Having no other choice, the attacker pushed his way through to get out of the alley and Aoko's saviour made a stance, as if he wanted to chase after him, but stopped when he turned and dashed to her direction.

He skidded across the floor and dropped to her side. Now that the man was closer to her view, Aoko noted he was wearing a jacket and jeans with a cap that covered nearly all of his face. His attire was the same as the attacker from before and it caused her to lean away by instinct. She was happy that someone came to her rescue, but the feeling of doubt and uncertainty won over her.

"Are you alright?" The man finally spoke in the cool voice that seemed to ring a little memory bell in her head.

Aoko frowned ominously, the new thought that sprang in her mind wasn't something she was happy about. Her trembling hand moved away from the ground and she daringly whipped the hat off roughly.

Her gut feeling was right.

Blue eyes blinked at her bold attempt before Kuroba Kaito replaced everything about him with a simple poker face. He lowered his eyes, seeming like he was afraid to look at her. Taking opportunity to her stunned silence, he put himself to good use and reached for her sling bag that was a few feet away and handed it to her.

She took it from his hand, her eyes refusing to move from his face. The terror she previously felt about losing her life was gone and what replaced were confusion and disbelief of what she was seeing now. Aoko once believed wishes and shooting stars were true, but those days died when her heart was shattered by the very man before her. She now wondered if it really was some kind angel who answered her prayers.

"Why are you here?" Her voice cracked.

"I just finished a heist nearby." He said softly.

Like usual, his answer never explain anything to her. It was the same as before, but Aoko wouldn't beg like she once did. She grudgingly remembered the cringe-worthy memory of her crying and asking for a simple reason to why he became Kaitou Kid and sacrificing everything they had. Now, she decided not to care anymore.

Aoko took in a deep breath and lifted herself up. He watched her and followed suit only after she stabled herself successfully on her own. She cringed at the pain on her butt and wobbled a little out to the street, where the bigger space made her feel safer by a ton. She slung the bag around her shoulder and took a glance to see what the damage were when she gasped out loud.

There was patches of blood at the corner of the bag, and she was hundred percent sure it wasn't hers.

She whirled around, just in time to see Kaito walking to the other end of the alley, about to disappear from her sight. Aoko yelled out his full name, feeling the weird feeling at the tip of her tongue as he stopped in his movement. She stomped over and took the hand she remembered he used to return the bag to her.

"Your hand-" Aoko's eyes twitched at the long cut on the palm, blood still oozing out little by little. "Why didn't you say anything?!"

"It's nothing big."

"How is this-" She closed her eyes and prayed the oncoming headache would go away. Deciding to give up explaining her thoughts and worries, Aoko jabbed her thumb to the direction of the baking studio. "Come with me. You need to patch up."

"It's alri-"

"I _want_ to." Aoko said, her voice firm. "As a way of thanking you for saving me."

Not allowing any time for his excuses, Kaito sighed as he let his wrist to be dragged by Aoko. For a moment, she thought the silence would prolong till the end of her treatment, but he proved her wrong.

"When are you ever going to learn to stop being reckless and act on your own?"

She glared at him over her shoulder. "Worry about your hand first."

Seeming to ignore her, he continued. "What if I wasn't there to save you?"

"Maybe it's better this way."

This time, he stopped and Aoko almost felt like she was pulling a huge boulder that wouldn't bulge. She turned around, annoyed masking her appearance, but her face fell lax when she realized two fiery-looking eyes she never expect to see were piercing through her gaze.

"What they hell are you saying?" He snapped.

Aoko glanced away, all her retorts stuck in her throat. She wasn't used to the way Kaito was looking at her so furiously. Anger and Kaito rarely came together, or in fact, never. Even that time she pranked him and filled his bathtub with fishes, he didn't look like how he was now. And seeing him like this, Aoko felt a pang of guilt hitting her chest. Of course she didn't mean her words literally. She didn't want to die yet when she had so many things left unfulfilled...

But how was this any of _his_ concern when they were over?

She still refused to look at him.

It was unclear how long they had been standing there like fools until Kaito sighed. "Is your first-aid kit good enough to fix my hand?"

"Yeah. I've seen worse." It was a good change of conversation that Aoko was willing to play along. She gave a small tug and realized he had allowed her to pull him with ease again.

Once they reached, she gently released her grip around his wrist, hoping her movement wouldn't affect his wound. Aoko unlocked the door and gestured him inside to sit on the receptionist chair as she headed to the storage room to retrieve the things she needed.

When Aoko came back with the box, she watched him looking through the photos and Polaroids pasted on the wall behind the counter, where she took pictures with other baking teachers and the students. She naturally cleared her throat, gaining his attention and then instructed him to show his hand.

Aoko switched on the tiny lamp on the desk and began her work of cleaning the wound, making sure there would be no infection before she bandaged his hand. She could feel his gaze on her the entire time, and she let him, just to pretend she didn't notice. At the moment when she was trying to perfect a knot, a whisper that resembled a breeze broke the chilling silence.

"I'm glad you're happy."

She scoffed, her eyes still focused on her task. "From the photos?"

"Yeah."

"Those smiles were necessary for the cameras." She unconsciously admitted.

He paused. "Then I hope one day, you're as happy as you're pretending to be."

His words struck her as painful as the way the attacker pulled her hair to the ground, but her pursed lips successfully refrained her from leaking any emotions that were not needed for her to show, especially to Kaito. Aoko did learn a thing or two about poker-faces.

"You don't have to worry about that." She said.

They walked out of the baking studio after they were down and Aoko locked the door with the same procedures as before. She secured and kept the keys, inwardly reminding herself to wash away the blood on her bag if she didn't want to be suspected of committing a murder the next day at work.

"Thanks for saving me." Aoko glanced up at him. Beating around the bush was of no use and she certainly was not interested to owe him a debt because of her pride. She was tired and really tired. Did she mention she was tired? Aoko thought she would wake up early tomorrow to go to the police to report the matter before her 10am lesson. As of now, she just wanted her bed.

Kaito didn't reply her gratitude. Instead, he stared down the streets, a little unconvinced about something as he looked back at Aoko without a word spoken.

Aoko obviously sensed his weird behaviour. "What is it?" She muttered.

He scratched the back of his ears, giving a pause in between until he took a deep breath and spoke. "Can I walk you home?"

She blinked, a little much awake than before. It might have been her imaginations, though it looked as if Kaito was mustering some courage for him to ask her that question. _Come on_ , this crazy and playful magician that risked his life for the sake of magic and his _bloody night activity_... Courage? His veins probably contained more courage than blood cells. Nonetheless, she ignored her observations and dismissed it as the lighting problem along the dim-lit street.

Aoko pretty much guessed the attacker would have to grow at least two balls if he tried to attack her again, but likewise, he was a major dick to target and threaten her life and it wouldn't be surprising if he had more than the balls a normal man should have. She groaned inwardly, deciding that once she started thinking dirty in her head, she really needed her sleep.

"Whatever you want. Just don't talk to me. I'm tired."

Kaito merely nodded.

Her droopy eyes turned away from his and she began her journey back home. At first, she was a little awkward about the entire situation, but it took her little time to get use to the sound of his shuffling feet, in fact, she felt much safer to know he was there with her. Kuroba Kaito-u Kid had the talent to hide his presence, so Aoko could only guess he did this on purpose for her. She had nothing to complain about.

After fifteen minute of sloppy walking, Aoko finally reached her home situated on the second floor of an apartment building. Climbing up the stairs, she forced her eyes to remain open for another promised five minutes while she searched for the keys in her bag. It was that moment of silence when she realized something was weirdly wrong. Her head shot up and she spun around, finally realizing that the quietness was louder than the _missing_ comfortable sound of Kaito's shuffling feet.

Like what she thought. He was gone. True to his name, just like a phantom.

If he didn't appear in her dreams tonight, perhaps this was the last time she would ever see him again, and Aoko wasn't sure if she considered that a good or a bad thing. For now, she shrugged off all her thoughts and opened the door to get inside of her house. What she truly needed was to get herself ready for bed and leave everything to tomorrow's worries.


	4. Chapter 4

Chrysanthemum (4)

* * *

Besides Aoko's frequent texts and nagging reminders, she would call and ask her father for a day of his time, just to have dinner together. Since they weren't living with each other anymore, she could tell he was putting effort to keep to his promise, though his packed and impromptu meetings at his headquarters was hard to make prior arrangements work out.

But it wasn't entirely his fault for their agreed plan to end up a failure sometimes. Aoko also got called back when something bad happened to the baking studio, or her colleague caught a flu and wasn't able to conduct lessons. She calculated that it was always one-third of a chance their dinners ran well without hiccups, so it was considered lucky to have a meeting at least once a week, which they had been doing so for the past two years.

When her father hadn't called fifteen minutes before the time to meet, Aoko smiled a little brighter as she waved her goodbyes to her colleagues and receptionist before heading to the restaurant just a street away. It was a place Keiko recommended, and she was hopeful that her father would enjoy it there.

Aoko reached right on time, and surprisingly, her father was actually earlier than her. She pointed at the corner of the restaurant before the waiter was about to inquiry about the number of seats and snaked her way towards the table where her father sat.

"Hello Dad."

He perked up and handed Aoko the menu once she sat down on the seat across him. They exchanged brief greetings and focused on choosing their food before starting any conversations. Once the waiter left with the orders, Aoko gleefully picked up the bag she placed by her feet and passed it over the table. Her father sighed once he looked at the content.

"Not this again."

"It's good for your health." Aoko pulled out the bottle of tonics to point at the labels, emphasizing on her point. "You're growing old, Dad. You need these."

"I know my health well enough." He set the bag aside and Aoko pouted, giving him a warning sign of her possible long rants. Knowing her patterns pretty well, he reassured that he would finish them like what she wanted and with that, she was satisfied enough to let the matter drop and continue onto the next subject.

Aoko was in the middle of complaining about Kasumi, a new colleague who recently been targeting and pulling her students away from her class when she noted how distracted her father was. She stopped and followed his gaze, which was out of the window and onto the street beside them. She frowned and glanced back at him.

"What's wrong?"

He snapped his attention back at her. "It's nothing."

She frown deepened. "Come on, what is it?"

Her father sighed as he stared at the streets again. "I'm wondering about Kaitou Kid."

"Oh." Aoko slouched. It meant the world to her that her father tried his best to fork out time for this, and she knew she shouldn't push her luck by making Kaitou Kid a taboo for their conversation. She took a sip of the complimentary water, giving herself some time to process her thoughts. Even if she knew how bad it felt to be talking about this, especially when she knew the _truth_... Kaitou Kid was basically her father's life, even before she was born. Aoko tried to respect that as much as she could.

"What about him?" She continued.

"There's been some suspicious people lurking about during his heists recently."

"Hardcore fans?"

"If they were fans, they sure aren't friendly ones." He muttered before he hardened his gaze over at Aoko. "You remember the incident two years ago, when Kaitou Kid was shot?"

Aoko bit the inside of her cheeks. Of course she remembered the day like it happened a second ago. The redness, his raspy breath, her salty tears and the scent of metal... She unconsciously cupped her mouth in horror, forcing every nerve in her body not to retch at the memory of Kaito's blood soaking her hands. Aoko cleared her throat and used the pretense of coughing to cover up the mistakes she made.

"Yeah." She nodded calmly.

"They were something similar. Or even the same." He clenched his teeth, continuing. "If this goes on, Division 1 may be involved."

She had no idea what to say. Other than Kaitou Kid's real identity, Aoko knew nothing about everything. Kuroba Kaito refused to tell her, and the secret room she chanced upon gave her no clues to anything. She was no different from her father about the thousands of answers she wanted to know, regarding the thief and his ways.

It was supposed to be none of her concern now, but why was there this feeling of unease in her heart?

"Sorry, I should've put work aside." Her father straightened his posture, perhaps mistaking her silence as anger for his negligence, which was what she often complained about in the past. He loosened his tie and placed his chin on the palm of his hand. "So do you have a boyfriend?"

Her mood didn't improve. This wasn't a conversation Aoko was looking forward to.

"No, I do not."

"When are you getting one?"

"Dad, you can't _get_ one as and when you like."

He leaned back on his seat, eyes raised. "After you've broken up with Kaito-kun for so long, I thought living in town will prove a better chance for you."

If Aoko tried hard enough, she could vision Kaitou Kid _as_ Kaitou Kid, the phantom thief with white cape who boldly stood on roofs and smirking like a winner, just to make it less painful to hear or speak his name. For Kuroba Kaito... She couldn't imagine him as anything _but_ Kuroba Kaito, the one she loved, hated and invested all her feelings into. Aoko couldn't think about his name as its own without stirring all the anger and pain in her chest.

Nonetheless, Aoko forced a grin. If she insisted her father to stop talking about him, it wouldn't validate those times she convinced him it was a mutual break up between them. Besides, it wasn't as though her heart wasn't trained for this moment. Her two-times meeting that occurred for the past month did help to cushion the blow.

"I know my love life well enough."

"You're my only daughter. I want to make sure."

" _Dad._ "

"Actually, maybe your tonics will be suited more for Kaito-kun than me." He glanced down at the bag. "He looked like a different man the last time I saw him."

She lowered her gaze. "Is he...?"

On the cue, their food finally arrived to the table, nicely interjecting the topic Aoko wished it didn't start and they moved on to discuss about the food, something that Aoko found the only comfortable thing they had talked about that day.

.o.

It was raining heavily that night and Aoko barely kept herself dry under the small umbrella she carried all the way home. An easy fifteen minutes' walk from her baking studio dragged till thirty because of all the slippery steps and steep slopes she had to look out for.

Once she got sheltered, Aoko shook her wet umbrella, water droplets dripping everywhere as she walked up the metal steps to her home on the second floor. It was lucky there wasn't much wind, or the whole corridor would have been a bigger wet mess. A flash of lightning lit the area much brighter than the pathetic lights along the corridor, and a soft thunder could be heard rolling at a distant a few seconds later. Those two didn't scare her, as least not as much as seeing a figure sitting outside her door.

She gasped out loud, and the lightning struck on the cue, illuminating the floor once again. It was all clear for her to realize the person was none other than Kuroba Kaito, his arms wrapping around his knees to firmly lock it to his chest. Despite her loud presence, Kaito didn't notice her, something which she couldn't believe would happen since his ears were the sharpest ones of all people she met. After her dumbstruck moment that lasted for a few seconds, Aoko approached towards her door tentatively, unsure of what to expect.

It was only till she towered over him, casting a weak shadow over his huddled body then his head shot up, his blue eyes staring right through hers.

Aoko blinked as she watched Kaito frantically stood up. Now that she got a better view, she noted he was drenched from head to toe, and seeing him like that made her shiver in cold for him. She tried searching for clues in Kaito's eyes, and as usual, there was none. There was no choice but to be literal about her questions, and because there was so many of them running through her head, she carefully picked the most important one and decided on it first.

"Are you okay?"

Kaito looked at her with a brief emotion that Aoko recognized as confusion. She should be the one looking like that, she almost said out loud. Aoko sighed inwardly when he glanced away, apparently choosing silence as his answer. He would say yes if he was, lie even if he wasn't or reply in an indirect manner to conceal his feelings. Since he didn't say a word, she guessed he was too broken.

Broken.

She knew how that felt. And it sucked.

"You need something to keep yourself dry. I have some spare towels."

"It's alright." He said hoarsely and turned his back at her. "Sorry. I don't know why and how I ended up here. I should go."

"How are you going anywhere in this heavy rain?" She spat. "If you go-"

Kaito stopped.

It was too late for her to retrieve her words now, might as well she complete her darn sentence. " _If you go."_ She took in a deep breath. "I won't be able to sleep well tonight when I don't know what the hell is wrong with you."

He peered at her over his shoulder and she gave him a pointed look. Defeated, Kaito gradually faced her, though his eyes were on something else.

She decided to take a new approach and treat him like a kid. Ironically, he did look like one, seemingly lost and weak.

"What happened?" Aoko cautiously said. She gave him some time until he dared to look at her and she spoke again. "Is it something bad?"

Kaito clutched his fist so tightly that she noted it was shaking.

"Someone, an innocent bystander, was held hostage during my heist a while ago." He wrinkled his brows, his voice was rough. "The hostage was shot during attempts of negotiation and rescue."

Aoko froze, her mouth moving like a fish. Because the rain was so heavy, her main concern was getting the umbrella to steady over her head. She didn't have the chance to go through the social media to see the news, but she didn't expect it to be like _this_. The words she remembered her father said during their last dinner came crashing back at her. Those _hardcore_ fans really weren't friendly at all.

Her fingers touched her quivering lips and she hesitantly looked up at Kaito. "Ho-How is the hostage?"

"It was a hit to the arm. The operation went well."

She let out a deep air she didn't know she was holding and touched her chest with a hand, feeling relieved at the final news. Aoko understood the end of her tension was resulted from knowing the good ending of the hostage, but in fact, there was something more to her comfort, which she didn't want to admit out loud or even to herself. She knew Kaitou Kid's number one rule; never to let anyone hurt, and he had always been trying to keep it that way. Even though the rule had been broken, it didn't reach to the point where a life was lost, which Aoko wouldn't know how Kaitou Kid, or Kuroba Kaito, would cope if that happened.

"Everything is fine now." The overwhelming feeling of ease caused Aoko to put out her hand, wanting to reach for his shoulder. Her fingers curled back instantly once she realized what she was about to do and she clasped onto her other arm, making the whole situation a little less awkward. It seemed Kaito didn't notice.

"For a moment-" He lowered his head, water slowly dripping down from his black, messy hair. "For a moment... I thought the hostage was you."

Aoko straightened her back. Was this the reason why he was here? It didn't make sense. Why would he think that way? She glimpsed at the floor he was staring so intently at and sighed.

"I'm here, aren't I?"

He glanced up back at her, as if to confirm what she said.

"Then what happened to the bad guys?"

"...They escaped."

Being on this topic, Aoko clutched onto the strap of her bag tightly, deciding to take this wildest chance and hoping she would withdraw an ace from the deck. "Who are they? Are they the same as the ones from two years ago?"

Half of her was expecting him to build the same old wall around his emotions when this situation happened, and half of her was expecting him to finally speak the truth, since he had admitted something so delicate like his fears that haunted him, something Aoko never knew she would ever hear in her life. But it seemed Aoko got a Joker card. This time, Kaito perfected his poker face, revealing nothing that Aoko could even use to guess or decipher at all.

But telling herself not to care this time round was much difficult than expected. Aoko wanted to know, and she was _desperate_ for the answers. Her hands fist into a ball, lips as thin as a line.

"Why can't you tell me anything?"

"It's better if you don't know."

Those words. Those _exact_ six words were the same thing he said to her two years ago. Was it all scripted? His lies, schemes, _everything_? She narrowed her eyes.

"What is with you and your secrets?"

He looked away.

"I thought I'm important to you, _important_ enough for you to tell me things that everyone else couldn't know but me."

"Aoko-"

"Or perhaps it's because I _was_ important to you." It hurts her to even say this, but she wanted to put her point across, even if she hoped it wasn't true.

"No it's not-"

"Then what is it? Why can't I share your burdens? Why can't I help you with anything? Why are you always doing things _alone_?"

"I'm-!" Kaito cut in curtly, catching Aoko by surprise. "I'm not strong enough."

"What?" In a millisecond, her widened eyes turned into a scowl. "You're not strong enough? Not strong enough to buck up your ass to admit the truth to me? About how you're thieving and making a fool out of my father 3am in the morning as he chased after you? Is that it? You're not strong enough?"

"Ye- No, Aoko-"

"Then what is it?" She could feel tears brimming her eyes, about to pour just as heavy as the rain outside. "What is it that you-"

His cold, damp hands grabbed her shoulders, silencing her right there and then.

"You'll be in _danger_ if you do." His stern voice hushed through the _pitter-patter_ of the rain.

 _What?_

"The lesser the people who know, the lesser the people who cross their path..." He slowly released his grip, returning her the space and freedom of movement. "The better it will be."

Kaito was visibly struggling with his words, but Aoko let him continue.

"You've crossed their path once, and I almost lose you." He rubbed his hand over his face. "In the end, I lost you in a different way. But it's fine. At least you're okay, even if it's not okay for me."

She gaped incredulously. _How is this okay for me...?_

"That's why I can't, not again." Kaito dropped his hand to his side, his words slowly, bit by bit, pieced itself together. "I'm not strong enough... to lose you again."

It took her two years just for him to touch on this topic, even if his words didn't answer a single thing Aoko wanted to know. She couldn't imagine the man, standing before her, to be the all mighty Kaitou Kid who flew into the night and causing thousands of people to scream for him. Aoko stared down at her feet, contemplating what else she could say.

If knowing the truth would hurt her in some way, then what about Kaito? What kind of risk was he taking to be wearing the white suit and cape? She bit her tongue, keeping the words inside her. Asking anymore question would be pushing Kaito off the edge, and Aoko didn't want him to feel any more burden than he already was, even when she was more worried than before.

In the end, things got more complicated than she expected. Their bitter arguments in the past about something that she often forgotten in the middle of the bickering would end up resolved once the fury went away. Time would heal, their silent apology was heard and they would laugh about everything together until the next topic of disagreement came about.

This time, nothing was settled. It was a bigger mess, one that Aoko knew it wasn't her to decide if it could be figured out or not.

Her eyes unconscionably travelled to his trembling hand and she looked up, noticing it wasn't just his arm that was shivering.

"Stay here." Aoko dug through her bag and fished out the keys to unlock her door. "You need to dry yourself or you'll catch a cold."

Aoko dropped her umbrella aside and kicked off her shoes, dashing into her room and ransacking all her drawers to find a towel big enough for Kaito. She ran out to the corridor as fast as she came in, her foot stood bare and cold in the small puddle of water that the rain had splashed in.

He's gone. Again.

"Bakaito." She muttered, her eyes fell to the dry towel in her hand.

.o.

Kaito stared before his computer and brought a hand to his chin, rubbing it continuously, as if it would suddenly bring him light to the new magic trick he had to come up with for his next heist. In the midst of his thoughts, his doorbell rang, interrupting his thinking process as he sighed.

He had been living alone for so long and he had never invited anyone to his house, yet this had been the fourth time the doorbell rung this week. He mindlessly wondered why he even installed one in the first place before he trudged down the stairs to the living room and whipped open the door.

"I'm not interested in any woks, pans or insurance-"

His heart stopped.

Aoko was standing before him, her hand raised to the doorbell, about to ring it the second time before she let it fall to her side. She afforded a smile and Kaito didn't know if it was one of those painful, necessary smiles that was entirely about the outward appearances and nothing to do with inward emotions or otherwise. Then again, he had no rights to choose.

"Hey." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Are you free now?"

"Of course." Kaito quickly said, much to his embarrassment. He cleared his throat and decided to try again. "Yes, I am."

"If you don't mind, do you want to eat the Christmas Eve dinner I've prepared? It's a lot, and I don't think my Dad and I can finish by ourselves."

Was this all a dream because _hell_ , Kaito would do anything to stop himself from waking up. He nodded and she turned towards his gate as he swiftly followed after he put on his shoes.

It took less than thirty seconds for them to reach her house, but once they entered, with Kaito softly mumbling his apology of intruding, Inspector Nakamori was waving a can of beer, complaining what took Aoko so long to get him to their house. She visibly blushed and sent a nasty scowl over at her father, complaining about how he shouldn't drink when they hadn't started on the food.

Aoko wasn't joking when she said she made _a lot._ The whole table was filled with all sorts of delicacy that Kaito didn't recognize, but they all looked pretty interesting and edible if he had to judge. They settled around the table and began expressing their thanks for the food.

"What's this?" The Inspector scrutinized one of the plates. It seemed it wasn't only Kaito who was confused.

"Beef Bourguignon."

The Inspector stared at it suspiciously while Aoko rolled her eyes.

Since Kaito recognized the word _beef_ , he decided to start on that first. He scooped a portion to his plate and tucked into his first meal of the day.

Baking was one talent while cooking was another. He remembered the meals Aoko whipped up during those high-school days were often a so-so, but without fail, she would ask for his opinion, to which he ungratefully and childishly sent remarks that depressed her a little, though it didn't stop her from making more food to feed his hungry stomach. Kaito was already expecting the familiar, wide-eye gaze she always used to look at him across the table, trying to spot any of his reaction on her own before he commented on the taste.

That expression of hers always made him want to laugh, and he did.

"What's so funny?" She scowled.

"Something's wrong with the meat?" The Inspector suggested.

"The opposite." Kaito picked up his fork and ate the food again. "It's good."

Inspector Nakamori raised an eyebrow and took a couple of scoop to test it himself, whereas Aoko was still scowling at him.

"Then why are you laughing?"

The bubbling feeling in his chest wouldn't go away and his lips curled up into a smile, showing the happiness he couldn't contain. The anger in her eyes subsided, replacing with a look of surprise. After so long, Kaito didn't dare to dream that he would ever be here, sitting in front of Aoko and eating her cooked food like before. He had no idea what was with her change of heart, but he rather enjoy the moment than to wonder about that.

Not knowing how to phrase this silly feelings into words, all he could do was to construct them into a sentence that Kuroba Kaito would usually say.

"Your cooking skills have improved. I'm glad for my stomach tonight."

Before Aoko could retort, the Inspector nodded his head too. "It sure did. It tastes good."

She scoffed and crossed her arms. "Still doubtful about my cooking?"

"It's nice to have dinner like this again." Inspector Nakamori suddenly said. "I can't remember when the last time this happened was."

Aoko didn't bat an eyelid. "Probably two years ago."

Either he was too oblivious about the reason behind the sudden silence in the room or that he was miraculously sensitive about the change of atmosphere, the Inspector changed the subject again, though Kaito suspected it was the former.

"So where did you learn these skills?"

"Some of my colleagues and students exchanged tips with each other. I've picked up a few cooking recipes from there."

"Ah, speaking of which, what's that guy's name again?"

Kaito glanced up.

"What guy?" Aoko frowned.

"That guy you said was chasing after you."

She groaned. "He's not chasing after me, Dad. He's just one of my students."

"You said you had a dinner date with him, that's why you cancelled ours."

Kaito was getting lost in the conversation. Guy? Student? Dinner? Date? What?

"We're not dating and he's not chasing after me. It's simply a dinner. I don't remember saying the word _date_ behind it." Aoko hastily stood up and began cutting up the turkey. "Anyway, try this chestnut stuffing I've spent hours making and tell me how it is."

The conversations on the table were jumbled everywhere, and with the help of the television, it ranged from kittens to politics and silence soon became rare, as long as there wasn't a mention of Kaitou Kid, which thankfully didn't happen. After the scrumptious dinner Kaito knew it had been years since he had one, Inspector Nakamori spent most of his time drinking after dessert, while the two of them stayed in the kitchen cleaning the dishes. At first Aoko refused his assistance, but after realizing she only had an hour left before the last train departs, she obliged to his request.

They minded their own tasks, exchanging apologies whenever they bumped into each other accidentally. It wasn't the awkward silence that Kaito dreaded; they were too busy to think of anything to say to each other. Somehow, he was glad about it.

After the dishes were cleaned, Kaito dragged Inspector Nakamori to his bed when the latter was zonked out from his couple of beers. When that was done, Aoko thanked him again and declared she had to leave now or she wouldn't make it home tonight. He considered asking her to stay if she missed the last train, then again, he wasn't in the position to suggest anything for her life.

Ensuring the doors were locked, Aoko kept the keys and they left the front gate together and to the streets. He thought it was time to say goodbye, forsaking the words of wishing they would meet again when instead, she stood on the ground, eyes staring at her shoes like they were made of gold. Kaito stayed put, until her glimmering eyes looked into his.

"Did you feel comfortable tonight?" She asked.

Kaito sighed inwardly. This was everything he had wished for to happen again after the day she moved away. "It's a nice dinner. I appreciate it." He meant his words, and he hoped she understood that.

"I've thought about it for a long time after that night." Aoko pursed her lips. "I can't guarantee that we wouldn't see each other again, and it would be tiring if it's either tense, awkward, confused, or all three at the same time whenever we meet. To make things easier, I've decided to change."

 _Change?_

"I'm not going to pressure you for answers anymore, or do things that make you uncomfortable." She rubbed both side of her arms before she slowly stuck a hand out towards him. "Let's start over, as friends. Nothing more, nothing less."

He stared at her hand, thin fingers, and lines on her palm...

"Hello, my name is Nakamori Aoko." She smiled. "Nice to meet you."

They weren't a couple, not even childhood best friends. Just friends, nothing more, nothing less. Kaito wasn't sure if he wanted to accept this treaty, having to forget and give up all the years they spent together. It's unfair, this wasn't what he wanted. Then again, all those tears and lies wasn't what he wanted either. For Aoko to come to his door and ring the bell for the dinner tonight, it was surprising the food didn't turn _that_ cold when he ate. She really must have invested a lot of time and consideration for this plan before putting them into action, and he decided he shouldn't allow his little selfish thought to ruin it for her.

At least they were friends; there was a status between them.

Kaito reached out for her hand, feeling the warmth as much as he could. He returned her with a smile. "My name is Kuroba Kaito. Nice to meet you too."

They stood there for a couple of seconds and he took the chance to let the memory of their first meeting to blend into their background. He remembered the chatters from the crowd, the clacking of shoes, the sad blue eyes that lit up once he showed her the red rose... And as fine as sand, everything faded along with the wind once Aoko let go of his hand.

"I should hurry now." She glanced down at her phone.

"As a friend." Kaito dared himself to speak. "Can I send you to the train station?"

"Okay."

Aoko filled the silence by talking about her work, mentioning about a new colleague named Kasumi, who made her head grew twice as large whenever they meet. He listened, offering input along the way, such as suggesting fart cushions or fake cockroaches, the usual tricks he used on Hakuba back in the past. She said she would keep them in mind.

He guessed she was about to ask him those typical, polite adults questions, along the lines of "How's your work?" or some sort, but she kept her mouth shut instead. Of course, his _work_ wasn't something he could talk about so casually, and mentioning earlier, she promised not to ask anymore. Still, it wasn't really like everything about him revolved around Kaitou Kid. Those bits about the other part of his life, he was more than willing to share with her.

"Jii-chan occasionally set up shows for me. Most of them are volunteer work for charities."

"Really?" She perked up. "That's really cool."

"You can say so."

A pity, the station was a ten minutes' walk from their neighbourhood and they reached on the cue when their conversation ended. Despite the late timing, there were many people at the station, mostly couples hugging and acting as if they would die if they let go of each other. Well, it was Christmas Eve after all, not like he cared. As for Aoko, he wasn't sure if she was concerned about the people around her. If she did, she certainly didn't show it.

Kaito scratched his nose, pondering if the sentence he wanted to say would overstep his boundaries.

 _Whatever._

"Will you be okay to walk back alone?"

"I'll be fine. The journey from the station to my home is often crowded." She pat her bag." Besides, I've got a pepper spray."

He raised an eyebrow.

 _Bong._

It was the chime of the clock tower echoing from a distance away.

 _Bong_

In sync, they turned their heads towards the direction of where the clock tower was.

 _Bong_

Couple began kissing, cheers and excited squeals of Christmas greeting could be heard around them, sparklers started appearing, the bright sparks flying everywhere and lighting up faces of happy kids and family... Strange enough, Kaito was vaguely impressed by everyone's fast reaction to do so many things once the clock struck twelve. Or perhaps the slow one was him when he was too busy being intrigued by something as silly as the bells of a clock tower.

He turned back to Aoko, who was staring at him for a while.

"Merry Christmas!" She beamed.

Her smile didn't bloom only in spring, but showed its strength through fall and survived in the winter, just like chrysanthemums. There were so many kinds, so many symbolization, but it wasn't as rare as a blue rose, or as pretty as the cherry blossoms. That didn't matter, in fact, it was even better. The simplicity of it was what attracted Kaito to love it so much.

Kaito had the brains and talent to get anything he wanted, from little things like jewels to a massive clock tower. But this smile was something he couldn't steal, no matter how priceless it was to him. He once wished she was as happy as she was pretending to be, and he hoped this was one of the moments for her.

"Merry Christmas." He finally said, trying to ignore his sudden irregular heartbeat.

Aoko bade goodbye and turned, walking towards the gantry area to tap her card into the station. She gave a final wave before disappearing into the crowd. Kaito only leave when he made sure he couldn't see her anymore.

* * *

I guess I've let these poor babies suffered enough. Here's to a positive end.  
And nope, we're still a little far from the ending so... yeah. Anyway, thanks for reading, updates won't be as frequent as I'm doing recently (which I'm surprised at the rate I'm going) but reviews are appreciated :)


	5. Chapter 5

Chrysanthemum (5)

* * *

In the quiet bar not far from town, Kaito sat on the high chair by the counter and stirred his cocktail quietly by himself. The soft music consumed his thoughts most of the time, but once he noted a familiar figure descending down the stairs, he began counting the seconds that ticked by.

It took Shinichi ten seconds to deduce his choice of appearance today, and he was disappointed at how slow it was. Kaito raised his head, showing his straight teeth of Shinichi's distant friend, the one he used to appear at his wedding. It would be disappointing if he didn't leave a mark behind to prove Kaitou Kid appeared at his rival's big day. So during the photo taking sessions, he changed back to what he was for the briefest moment when the camera flashed.

The groom wasn't very happy and Kaito believed it was because the former never expected so many guests who attended his wedding were Kaitou Kid's fans.

"You're really enjoying this disguise, aren't you?" Shinichi scowled.

"It's the only person that I find similar to myself."

Shinichi slumped onto the seat next to him. "Care to share?" He didn't sound as interested as his words seemed to be.

"Handsome."

The detective faked a laugh. "Very funny."

"And that too."

Shinichi slid the thick, brown envelope across the counter, cutting their greetings to an end. Kaito picked up his gift and peered inside the content, instantly sighing when he saw the sheer number of papers he had to read. It would be great if there were cartoons or pictures to make the report a little less boring but who were we kidding?

"A summary of this, please."

"There's a table of content at the front."

Kaito carefully pulled out the very paper and his nose twitched at what he saw.

"I'm flattered you think so highly of my talents but I don't read dog language."

"It's codes." Shinichi rolled his eyes. "I've encrypted in a way only you'll solve them. These information are classified, be happy that I even give them to you."

Now that school days were over, Kaito had more free time to plan his heists, but that didn't mean he would allow troublesome work like this. And the codes were in bloody hard copies, not in data form where he could push all the responsibilities to the computer's brain. This ass better meant it when he said he could solve it.

He shoved the paper back into the envelope and tucked it safely inside the large pocket within his suit.

Shinichi stepped off the high chair. "I've got some matters to settle, contact later."

"Oh? Picking up your wife from her baking lessons?" Kaito fiddled with the cherry-on-stick in his cocktail. He did remember Mouri Ran's conversation with Toyama Kazuha at the cafe a while back. It wouldn't be shocking to him if her teacher happened to be a certain feisty, blue-eyed girl he knew...

"How- Wait a minute. You're tracking Ran's schedule?!"

Kaito blinked, honestly not expecting a rash response.

"Chill." He raised a hand to defend himself. "It's just a casual guess. Looks like I'm right?"

"Very smart." Shinichi drawled sarcastically, his fumes died down. "You better keep all your playful games to yourself."

"Are you still butt hurt about the wedding?"

"Shut up." The detective left the counter.

"Wait for me." Kaito stood up and threw some notes on the table by his drink.

Shinichi turned and narrowed his eyes dangerously. Although it was sometimes hard for Kaito to believe this man before him was the same little brat that chased him years ago, he still liked the reaction nonetheless. It pleased him entirely to see the smart-alec uncomfortable and irritated. Kaito thought it was his way of sending his thanks for the bloody codes.

"Can I follow?"

"What are you up to?"

"I thought I can say hi to my sister-in-law."

"Who are you calling _your_ sister-in-law?"

"Come on, have you forgotten all the times we've been through? Brothers not by blood but by bonds, perhaps?"

"Get your thieving arm off my shoulder."

.o.

Instead of going straight, they should have turned left to reach the baking studio faster. Kaito knew his directions by heart, but he kept his mouth shut and followed Shinichi's stupid routes quietly behind him.

The baking studio was painted mostly white and pink on the outside and inside, easily catching eyes of girls who walked down the crowded streets. The smell of freshly bakes filled Kaito's nose once he stepped in, a complete different feeling compared to the first time he was in here. Everything was bright and cheerful, unlike that cold dark night and the aching pain on his hand.

"Good evening." The receptionist chimed.

"Good evening to you." Shinichi bowed his head slightly.

She certainly didn't look like the Kasumi Aoko described to him. Knowing that, Kaito smiled and said his greeting back, to which the receptionist swooned in her seat.

They walked further inside and Kaito took the time to see the interior a little more closely, a chance he didn't get previously. There were tons of pictures, awards and certificates lining up the walls, but it was none of his business unless he spotted Aoko or her name in one of it.

His eyes lit up curiously when he noted the walls didn't stretch all the way to the end of the corridor like he thought. Instead, a part of it was replaced with a long transparent glass and behind it was a huge room, where the baking classes were held in. When Kaito moved closer, faint sound of chatters and laughter could be heard, one of which belonged to Aoko's and he recognized it even before he got to lay his eyes on her behind the glass. She was standing in front of a class of adults, waving a piping bag animatedly in her hand.

Kaito goggled the entire scene, watching how her hand carefully circled around the tip of the bag, giving a little pressure as the cream flowed out beautifully. She twisted her wrists gently, like a slow dance he imagined her doing. He would have drooled at the creamy and delicious looking cake she was crafting, if he wasn't busy capturing every movement of her body.

After Aoko was done, the students followed her instructions as she strolled around the class, guiding anyone who needed her help.

"Are you done gawking?"

He snapped his neck to Shinichi, who was staring at him suspiciously. This moment proved his point that he was so, _so_ distracted that he had forgotten the existence of the detective standing beside him. Kaito gave a toothy grin, regaining his composure in no time.

"You can't blame me with all the delicious cakes inside."

"I almost thought you'll say beautiful ladies."

"Oh, I wouldn't dare when your wife is in there."

"Good thinking."

Kaito turned back to the glass again. Now that he noticed, it was really an all-ladies class. There was no male inside, so definitely the _dinner-date-guy_ Inspector Nakamori spoken of wasn't here today.

As he continuously glanced around, it wasn't long till Aoko noticed and turned to his direction with a blank look, her blue eyes staring straight into him.

He unconsciously touched his face, feeling exposed all of the sudden. His disguise was always top notch, and as long as someone didn't pinch his face, his mask would stay in place until he decided not to. But seeing how Aoko was looking at him like that, he felt so insecure with his skills all of the sudden.

Her blues eyes moved away as she trudged to the other side of the class and tapped onto a lady's shoulder, who was none other than Ran's. Aoko signalled her to the glass window and Ran placed her chocolate piping bag aside before showing the brightest smile and waved excitedly, to which Shinichi responded elatedly as well.

Kaito sighed inwardly. Was he feeling a little confident today? Thinking as if Aoko's stares were on him and no one else. He should have known.

 _"Let's start over, as friends. Nothing more, nothing less."_

How pathetic. The phrase happened almost a month before and yet he still couldn't let it go.

Shinichi and Ran were still waving at each other, both smiling like idiots. Kaito suspected they were silently transmitting signals to each other, something along the lines of _"You stop waving first!" "No,_ you _stop waving first!"_

 _Ew._

To irk the murder-magnet for a little bit, Kaito raised his hand and waved just as enthusiastically, to which he earned himself a scowl from Shinichi when he broke their beautiful moment. Ran paused for a split second and gave a sheepish smile before returning him a wave back too.

Ran turned away when Aoko spoke about something. Kaito considered training himself to hear through glass one day. As for now, he decided to stick to lip-reading.

 _"Kudo-kun's here to pick you up?"_

 _"Yeah. He's free from meetings today."_

 _"That's really sweet of him."_

Kaito could have been as sweet as Aoko wanted him to be, without any hint of coldness like the ice cream she used to compare him to. He scoffed to himself and dismissed the thought. That memory was so long ago.

"Now that I've said hello, I shall go now." He stuck his hands into the pockets of his pants and turned to the entrance of the studio.

"Seriously?" Shinichi glanced at him with raised eyebrows. "No doves, no giant pancakes, no smoke bombs, no fancy exits?"

Kaito rolled his eyes. "Not today."

At least not here before Aoko's class.

.o.

It was a good day for Aoko today. Not like any particular happy thing happened, but since nothing bad did, it was already considered great for her. She whistled her way to work, greeted familiar faces of people she came to know for working here and walked into the baking studio. Kyoko, the receptionist, brightened up with a smile and it instantly made Aoko's mood grow even better.

"Any mails for me?"

"Nope."

Aoko nodded and glanced down at her phone's screen. She still had ten more minutes to spare before her class would start and she pondered if she should rush down to the coffee shop next door to get something quick when Kyoko handed a file to her face, disrupting her thoughts.

"You've got a new student."

"Really?" Aoko took the file filled with all the particulars of her students and flipped through the pages.

"Yeah. Weirdly, he didn't want any trials and just asked to be sent to your class for his first day."

That was indeed _weird_. The first thing that Aoko found puzzling was the new student was a male. She would be lying if she wasn't stereotyping since it was rare to have male students signing up for baking courses, unless they were interested in the business perspective. So perhaps that was the case? But not taking up the trial, which was _free_ , made her a little skeptical about this whole matter even more.

And she was right once her eyes landed on the name of the new student.

Kuroba Kaito.

 _Are you kidding me?_

"He's only interested in your classes." Kyoko added. "He didn't bother looking through other choices!"

 _It isn't surprising but... shit._

"Oh yeah, he also purchased the materials and ingredients package for a couple month worth of lessons." Kyoko said. "He must be serious."

 _What the hell?_ Her head shot up. That was literally insane, no one would ever do that! Not just talking about how serious or whatsoever but the expense of the non-refundable deposits too!

"Kyoko." Aoko slowly closed the file and returned it back to her. "Is there anything _else_ you want to add?" _Just tell me everything and hit me all in one blow instead of doing so one by one. It's not helping!_

"Now that you've reminded me, he's inside now." She jabbed to the baking room at the back. "He arrived pretty early."

 _"_ What?! _"_ Aoko choked. "The class he's joining is today's?"

"Yeap. There's a space left so I suggested him for it."

 _Oh my God..._

"Is there something wrong? The ingredients are enough if you're worrying about that."

"N-No. It's nothing." Aoko managed to say after getting her voice back in order. She clutched onto her bag and muttered a thanks before rushing to the staffs' lockers instead, the plan to get her coffee was long forgotten.

After locking her belongings, she scooped her apron from the hanger and hung it around her head while trying to process her thoughts.

 _"Let's start over, as friends. Nothing more, nothing less."_

Selfishly, this was the only way for her to stop the sickening feeling in her throat, as if she was going to burst out crying whenever she thought about the past. As for Kaito's side, she would no longer be his burden in anything and he didn't need to answer his actions to anyone. It was a win-win situation.

But she wasn't blind, and he wasn't the king of emotionless-land either. Even though his poker-face was kept intact throughout the whole period, the way his pupils dilated and his slightly tightened jaws didn't escape her eyes.

Had she created more damage than necessary?

Then _this_ happened. Now that he had practically signed up for her lessons, Aoko began to wonder if she was just over-imagining things. It had always been her forte.

Taking in deep breaths, she stomped towards the direction of her class, feeling determined all of the sudden. It would be good if it was really all just her imagination, and that Kaito was fine with her plan to remain friends.

Maybe the reason why he decided to attend her class was to become... more than friends? Closer friends? Was it possible? Aoko tried not to get herself hopeful, then again, she shouldn't even be hoping for this at all.

 _Just gonna act normally..._ She reminded herself.

Aoko swung open the door of the baking room, to be welcomed by the sight of the almost empty class, saved for a huge crowd at the end of the room.

"How do you do that?"

"You're so cool Kuroba-kun!"

"Show us more magic tricks!"

She blinked, dumbfounded.

It took Aoko a while of coughing and clanging of utensils to gain everyone's attention and get them back to their seats. She grudgingly introduced herself again, for the sake of Kuroba Kaito, who was technically the _new_ student and began the lesson for the day. She wasn't happy with the commotion previously, and his cheeky grin was making it even worse.

For God's sake, all of her students here were an adult, the youngest being a fresh graduate who was preparing to open her own bakery store. Yet everyone was behaving like _kids_ when Kaito turned Aoko's mixer into a bunch of falling cards while she was in the midst of explaining the power level to use later on. It was the most usual tricks Aoko saw since forever and it didn't impress her _that_ much, but now where the hell was her mixer?!

Was this how her homeroom teacher felt when their young-self disrupted the class? She groaned in agony. Karma was real.

Though she was trying to remain cool, she had been inwardly half praying that candyfloss wouldn't suddenly burst out of the oven, and half hoping her students would concentrate better just for a little bit. Only when they finally reached the free-style decorating part of the lesson, Aoko let her painful, tensed shoulders to relax as she began walking around the class to see how her students explore their creativity.

Her intention was also to use this moment to _coincidentally_ approach Kaito's desk and demand an answer to why he was here, but his arm was the first to be raised in the air and Aoko got a feeling something was up. She tied her apron a little tighter around her waist and trudged uncertainly towards him.

"What?"

"Icing is boring." Kaito said as he stared at his piping bag in disdain. He then waved his hand and a rose magically sprouted between his fingers.

Aoko widened her eyes, the feelings of Déjà vu hitting her like a truck, but her astonishment died down once she heard the few squeals coming from the back of her head. She sighed inwardly, putting a hand to her hips. "Your point is?"

He snapped off the stalk of the rose and placed the flower in the middle of his Lavender-buttercream and blueberry cake. "That's better."

"Interesting concept, though the colour combination is a little off." She crossed her arms. "But no worries, _Kuroba-kun._ In the future, I have plans of teaching how to decorate a cake with dried flowers."

"I can't wait." He said, in such an innocent manner that pissed Aoko much more than before.

She tread heavily to his side, teeth gritting.

"Why are you here?" Aoko whispered harshly. Inwardly, she was glad Kaito was being himself, the prankster he always was; she would be much worried if he didn't do anything at all. But to the point of disturbing the class every ten minutes or so was...

Kaito blinked. "Why not? _Aoko-sensei._ "

"You're not keen in baking at all."

"How would you know about that?"

"Because I _know_."

He smiled faintly. "You know?"

The corner of her eyes began twitching.

"Are you going to hit me with a mop?" Kaito smirked, pointing at the convenient mop that was leaning against the cabinet just beside them. Aoko was really tempted to do it, for the sake of seeing his shocked face for heeding his words. But currently, she was a _teacher_ leading the class and there was no way she could do it if she wanted to keep her image and reputation.

Aoko cleared her throat professionally and gave a big smile. "If you continue your stupid behaviour, I'll kick you out of the class."

"Can you?"

"Want to try?"

He went silent for a while. "You meant in a literal way of kicking or?"

"We can do both meanings."

"Nakamori-sensei! SOS!"

Before Aoko leave for the next student who was calling for her help, she swiped her fingers across his cake and poked the lavender-flavoured cream into his cheek, catching him by surprise.

 _And eye for an eye._ Aoko silently mouthed and turned away. She took the chance and licked her stained fingers.

It tasted better than she thought.

.o.

Kaito's weakness for fish was a great tool Aoko loved to use. To put his silly acts to the bare minimum, she declared to him that she would start to keep fishes in class as decorative purpose and increase the count whenever he pissed her off. He laughed and said that her threats were pitiful, although his voice were pretty shaky at the point of time.

So to prove her words, she set a fish bowl she secretly borrowed from the coffeehouse next door on the cabinet near Kaito's desk. Aoko had always been a frequent customer, and asking for this small request was almost too easy.

Ever since then, Kaito called for a truce and was limited to two tricks per lesson. A bonus if there was none.

Aoko wished she could strike her usual victory pose, claiming her nth number of wins against Kaito's stupid games. It was a habit she once did, to the point where she was so excited about her achievements that she marked anniversaries like _100th successful pranks on Kaito!_ on her calendars when she was younger. It was silly when she thought back, but if she had a choice, she would do it all over again.

Painful memories were one thing, those fun memories were something she couldn't forget too, even if she tried (Barely tried, actually. She couldn't do it).

A year before she first saw Kaito in Jii's storage room, she couldn't even breathe right whenever she came across Tropical Land's advertisement or offers for skiing lessons. Luckily for her, work was hectic enough and she had her new colleagues and friends' help. Things gradually grew better when time passed and after their relationship-friendship agreement was done and dealt with, it was safe to say Kuroba Kaito's appearance no longer turned her into a swirling hot mess. There was this cool, minty feeling she felt whenever she saw him in the baking studio, something she didn't go through in her life before.

It was like experiencing her meetings with Kuroba Kaito completely in a new way.

Their mocking insults, her naggy reminders on proper meals, his abrupt and sudden magic tricks he pulled on her in the past...

He still teased her now and then, though it was less mocking but more of those flirtatious, roll-eyes-worthy puns she couldn't believe he would use.

Ironically, it was he who attempted to get her out for a quick bite and failed more times Aoko could remember because she was in a rush to prepare for the next class.

The magic he flaunted on her was less of pranks but more decent, something like his signature rose, which he occasionally did it to her in front of people and in private too.

Friends... Friends? They were almost doing the same things when they were best friends in the past, just reacting in a slightly different manner. Obviously, after what they've been through, Aoko deemed Kaito had grew mature a little, and she herself changed too.

Though all these positive things happened, Aoko could still sense a distance, a clear line that separated them, yet they never dare to step over all the while.

Love.

As for Kaitou Kid, he was still doing his _usual_ _things,_ sending heists notes, stealing jewels, making a fool out of her father... those usual routines. It wasn't always the phantom thief's choice of dates for his heists, such as certain special exhibitions that happened to last over a fixed period, or when it was a challenge sent to him and the details wasn't his to decide. For some odd reasons, those dates never once fall on the days of their baking lessons, and whether it was related to fate or whatsoever, Aoko didn't bother trying to understand.

Kaito's perfect attendance had been going on for two months, not until when the news about _Child of the Moon_ became a hit across the globe. It was an old diamond that was kept away and hidden for several centuries in Korea by the request of the previous Kings, but when a major economic crisis hit Korea, money was the most important thing they needed instead of a jewel. Soon, it ended up in different hands of many _bloody-rich_ people from all sorts of countries and ultimately came into the possession of a billionaire from Azabu, who later announced that the brilliant, flawless stone was going to be exhibited in Tokyo to the public next week.

He didn't come to lesson on the same week when Kaitou Kid declared he was going to steal the diamond. Neither did he come for today's lesson too.

The heist was tomorrow.

It was Aoko's turn to close up the studio for today and an hour had passed since she finished her cleaning up duties. She would have reached home by now, sleeping perhaps or catching up with her friends on the phone, but instead, she was sitting on the chair behind the receptionist counter, the lights all switched off, saved for the small lamp that weakly lit up the desk.

She dumbly stared in space, too tired to move.

Her father had cancelled their dinner on the same weeks she didn't see Kaito. It was a little depressing, and the reasons behind it wasn't helping. He briefly told her about the case on the phone, saying he had meetings with Division 1 regarding a message from Kaitou Kid that was not revealed to the public; he requested the exhibition to be a private event instead because it's _dangerous_. They were still discussing if it was a plan Kaitou Kid made up so to get his loot easier, but her father still warned her to be better safe than sorry, and not to go to the museum even if she was interested to see the jewel.

 _Dangerous._

On the other hand, Ran shared her concerns about her husband to Aoko after class, who coincidentally belonged to the same Division 1 her father was working with. She said Shinichi hadn't been returning home from work as of late, and his health wasn't the only thing she was worried for. He was going to attend the so-called dangerous heist and she was _scared_ something would go wrong.

Aoko complimented Kudo Shinichi's brains and commented that the worse thing he would ever suffer from would only be her Karate kicks. Ran smiled gratefully, and told her she hoped so too.

 _Scared._

If only she could comfort herself the same way she did to other people.

The quietness and lighting provided the same environment for Aoko to bring back the memory of tending to Kaito's wound that was resulted for her sake. She stared at her hand, her thumb caressing the air over her palm.

"You'll be fine, right?" Aoko imagined his hand there as well. His warmth, his skin...

Slowly, she brought her hand to her lips.

 _Just friends_ her stupid ass. She cared about him more than she would ever let on.

"Please be safe."

* * *

When I said updates won't be as frequent, I didn't mean it to be 3 days later. It was just that my part-time job was actually less-tiring than I thought it would be so... here it is hehe  
Thanks for reading and reviews are appreciated :)


	6. Chapter 6

Chrysanthemum (6)

* * *

In the eyes of others, young and sweet 18 years old Nakamori Aoko was the most hardworking, smart and filial girl in the neighbourhood.

As for Kaito, the same Nakamori Aoko everyone adored would be the death of him one day, _if_ Snake hadn't killed him first.

Even as they grew and supposedly matured enough to be Ekoda High school's respectable senior students, they hadn't abandoned the usual demeanour since forever. Random arguments breaking out, mop-chasing, disruption of class... The teachers always used them as role models to warn the juniors to _not be_ in the future. To emphasize the point, the discipline mistress often stepped in and get Kaito and Aoko to stand at the basketball court in front of the school for their misconduct.

It was the same, typical punishment they faced at least once a week or some sort. The only difference this time round was the extra five inches of snow that covered the ground.

With only their school sweater and respective pants and skirts to cope with the cold, it still didn't end their argument. Kaito had forgotten how it started, although he remembered it had something to do with the new guy who recently transferred to their class, who in his opinion, was a million times worse than Hakuba. To add on, Aoko was too blind to see it and he was furious that she couldn't.

At first they were using the snow to kick it into each other's shoes, but it slowly grew out of hand and their setting wasn't helping. Aoko began throwing snowballs at Kaito while he dodged without effort, until she was finally lucky enough to throw it into his face. He didn't intend to fight back, but now he wondered why he was even going soft on this wild woman. He cheated, using magic as a distraction and managed to hit Aoko more times she even tried to aim at him.

It was a miracle no one noticed them from their classes.

The fight escalated and they soon became physical. Aoko got the upper hand, making use of the fact Kaito would never, _ever_ touch her and gave him a surprise attack by pouncing onto him. His back landed on the soft snow and she sat on his chest, grabbing and twisting one of his thumb. It was painful, but not enough to damage.

"Ow! Ahouko! Stop it!"

He attempted to stand just to get her off his body, but she used her weight to force him down.

"You're the most frustrating person I've met!" Aoko bawled.

"Likewise!"

She twisted his thumb again, harder this time.

"God damn it Ahouko! I make magic with that hand!"

"You can do magic fine with the other hand alone!"

"Shut up and let me go already!"

Kaito thought he had to suffer for at least ten more minutes before his thumb would ever be free, but it seemed he had made certain miscalculation about Aoko today when he felt the pain lifted away, leaving only soreness behind. He groaned a little exaggeratedly and clasped his thumb, as if he was healing it with some magic power he had yet to discover in him.

While he was focusing on doing his silly act, with the back of his entire body still lying in the cold, he suddenly felt droplets hitting his face, stunning his movement. It was unusual, he thought. The forecast didn't mention rain, and that he was sure even if there was one, the water wouldn't be this _warm._ He blinked, the numbness of his thumb was long forgotten as his hand reached to the side of his face to touch the unknown liquid that just trickled down his cheek.

He slowly dared himself to look up.

More droplets fell onto his cheek.

It was like the cold that spread across his back no longer existed, or that the white snow around him was all an illusion. Aoko's tears that flowed down her chin instantly put out the fire surging within him, replacing it with shock and guilt despite the warmth from her tears.

"Aoko..."

Without a word, she lifted herself up and stepped away from Kaito's body. Instead of returning to her punishment position, she walked away and towards the school building, leaving him stupidly lying on the snow alone, his hand and face still stained with her tears.

He slowly propped himself up with one his elbow, watching Aoko's back.

This wasn't what he wanted.

Swiftly, Kaito jumped to his feet and wiped his face with determination as he sprinted towards Aoko. Before she reached the end of the basketball court, he passed her strides and stood right in front of her. She stopped, just in time before her face hit his chest.

Aoko looked up at him with teary eyes that Kaito wished he could wipe away. He used all his nerve cells in his body to resist the urge.

"What do you want?" She spat, hoarsely.

He stared at her, unsure of what to do or say. There was nothing he had in mind to solve this situation, heck, he didn't even know he would come to this point. His hand slowly moved to the back of his neck. Just when he was so determined not to apologize a few minutes ago... But for the sake of Aoko, he gave in. It had always been like this anyway.

"I'm sorry."

Aoko walked around him. "Leave me alone."

"Wait-" He cut her path again. "Why did you cry? I should've been the one crying, for what you did to my thumb."

She glared. "Because you're a jerk."

"I apologized, didn't I?"

Her eyes began brimming with tears, taking him slightly aback. Just great, another weakness he had unknowing found about himself other than the existence of fishes. What did he do wrong again?

"You're so confusing, s-so different!" She whimpered.

"Huh?"

""I-I can sense that you're drifting away and n-never coming back."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kaito interjected. Wasn't he standing in front of her now? Those frequent fights and bickering, nothing had been different or whatsoever. Was he missing about something? Nothing ever missed his eyes.

"You're drifting away like my father." She wiped her eyes furiously with the palm of her hands. "Drifting towards Kaitou Kid."

His jaw tightened, no words and retorts to say this time. Did she mean he was neglecting her, to the point she thought he was going to be taken away like Inspector Nakamori? She had always been complaining this matter and how much it upsets her. Had he really been doing that too? His eyes tentatively glanced away before he dared himself to look back at Aoko again.

He trusted himself to have reasons to validate all his actions, even if they were conscious or not. In mere seconds, he began reasoning with himself why he had blundered and caused Aoko's silly worries. One. Maybe he was afraid he would get careless under her observant eyes if he was too close. Two. Maybe he had distanced himself from her, for the sake of her precious safety that he wouldn't trade anything in the world for. Three. Maybe he knew the consequences of falling in love with this crazy, feisty-

And maybe because he cared so much as Kuroba Kaito, his alter ego was affected and cared just as much, or even more, to the point when he once _put off_ the search for Pandora to save _their_ clock tower and almost got caught in the process of it. Yes, they were both the same, but different identity to live. He believed somewhere along the way, the thin line that separated his two life broke and he got confused with himself.

Oh God. Both side of him cared about her _so_ much, yet she thought otherwise. How _could_ she? It was a hassle to explain his feelings or to show any of it when he was more comfortable with his poker face. But today, he couldn't allow to let Aoko think in any other way.

"I'm not going to drift away, stupid." He muttered.

She glowered. "How'd you know?"

"Because I like you. And I'm not going to leave you until you become wrinkly, old and dying in the arms of at least ten of our grandchildren."

Silence.

"W-What?"

"Promise me," he sighed. "Don't cry anymore."

"Wait- No-" Aoko waved her hands frantically like a child. "Can you repeat what you just said? I think I-"

Crazy had always been his middle name. From breaking the girls' lockers to jumping off a plane, he's risking things like getting himself expelled from school or breaking a bone or two, even though honestly, it didn't really matter to him. The next thing he thought he wanted to do, however, was a whole new level.

Their relationship was like a tower of cards. Stable at the start but vulnerable as more cards were used to build the tower higher and higher. He wasn't great with relationship, and his magic pranks earned him many lurking audiences and a bunch of haters too. Aoko was both, dedicated and supportive at the same time. He wasn't sure if he wanted to risk everything between them by placing this last card that was almost unnecessary, but necessary at the same time. It would either complete his fortress, or destroy everything they've spent years building together. If the latter happened, he wouldn't know how to live.

But he still did it. Because crazy, _was_ his middle name.

And Kaito plunged his lips into hers.

He never answer her question, although it wasn't as if she needed to hear it to confirm again anyway.

.o.

One of the few things Kaitou Kid hated was to stay behind after his performance. He preferred to make his exit while his audience was still hyped and engrossed with his talents, thus leaving a beautiful impact that would keep everyone craving for more.

This time was no different, even though his _audience_ wasn't technically the audience he was looking forward to perform to. It took him a dozen of smoke bombs, two decks of cards ammo, lots and lots of running, bruised knees and a bullet graze wound on one side of cheek for Snake and all his men in trench coats to be rounded up by Kaitou Kid's squad, along with Division 1 who were waiting aside and all prepared for the ambush. The main reason for arrest was their possession of dangerous firearms, but all accounts and evidence of other criminal activities Shinichi had in hand would slowly be revealed back at the police headquarters.

Knowing his enemies would be in good hands, Kaitou Kid didn't stay any longer and left the scene with his trusty white wings, the _Child of the Moon_ hidden inside his suit. Instead of heading home to tend his facial wound, he angled his way towards an unfamiliar direction, a destination situated at the very corner of town. He had no reasons to ever go there, until today.

He didn't manage to land his feet properly on the ground before he changed the glider back into his cape, causing him to stumble forward and fell to the ground. Hasty, he would say, but never out loud. Today, he didn't care to reflect on his mistake and quietly pushed himself off the dirt, getting back on his feet to walk to the place he had to go.

It was dark and cold. With the trees rustling, bugs' mating calls and the squelching sound of shoes sinking into mud, it was a typical setting for a horror film, and technically it was close enough to be one when he was in a cemetery. He had no torch on him, and only the full moon revealed his features under his hat and monocle.

Despite how little light there was, Kaitou Kid stopped at the correct grave on his first try. He stared at the familiar name with a mere smile and took off his tall hat to bow, softly introducing himself as the ghost of the dead phantom thief. He dropped his hat and whisked out the hard gem from his suit before placing it before the grave. Another hand waved and a hammer materialized in his clutch, but was strike down to the floor just as fast as it appeared.

Again and again, he hit the Pandora without stopping even once. Tiny red shards were flying everywhere, some even flew to other graves near Kuroba Toichi's. The smashing only halted once the hammer collided with the mud, sucking in the impact. Kaitou Kid reluctantly released his grip and fell back onto his butt, his pants and heaves was the only thing he could hear other than the loud beating of his heart.

It still wasn't enough to vent every negative feeling reigning in his body, but there was nothing left for him to destroy. If he used his strength any further, the hammer might wreck apart everything beneath the soil, and below contained the coffin of the man he wished to see again, if he ever had a chance with real magic. He had found and destroyed Pandora, something the original phantom thief couldn't. Had he overpowered the original? Was he no longer the ghost, but the better version?

Kaitou Kid's trembling hand tossed the monocle away and unbuckled the cape from his suit. He stared lifelessly at the tombstone and introduced himself softly again, this time stating his identity as the son of the greatest magician he'd ever known.

Kuroba Kaito wiped his face that was mixed with sweat, tears and dried blood from his wound before letting his dirtied gloved hand to fall heavily to his side. He was done, it was all over. He didn't have to lie or act anymore, regardless to Aoko or the audiences he fooled with his tricks. He was no longer anything but Kuroba Kaito, and that would be the only name he would respond to no matter who did the calling. After years of hard work, he had erased the existence of the gem that ruined and tear his life apart. He could finally clip his wings.

Would his father be proud of him now?

Sitting in the pool of tiny red diamond pieces scattered around him, Kaito had no idea how much time had passed, though even if he decided to stay the night or not, there wasn't much difference between here and his home anyway.

.o.

When Aoko's night class ended, she finished the cleaning duties and closed the studio at the speed of lightning before running around to flag for any cab she could see.

It didn't take long for her to reach the museum that the billionaire once promised to exhibit the legendary diamond to the public. The door to the museum, however, was shut tight, with four guards guarding the wide entrance and a barricade right in front. Crowds of dissatisfied people, mixed with Kaitou Kid's fans and people who were genuinely interested to see the jewel were standing before the large building, as if hoping the police would change their mind to let them in. Aoko knew they wouldn't.

She looked through her social apps. There wasn't any updates on what was happening, and no one other than the people involved would knew. It frustrated her to no end, especially when _two_ of the most important people were right inside this so-called dangerous building. If anyone had the rights to be furious and worried, it would only be her.

Her finger clutched onto her phone and she brought her hands to her chest. To whatever God and angels that were listening to her now, she prayed with all her might that _please, please let them be safe and that's all I could ever ask for-_

"Hey that's Kaitou Kid!"

"Kaitou Kid!"

Cheers and screams erupted and Aoko's head snapped up to the sky, eyes darting around until she concentrated on the white figure flying across the vast sky. In two seconds, it was gone and she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as she clenched her fist again.

 _What if it's just a dummy?_

She didn't see any movement coming from inside the building. Her father would usually be screaming and shouting at his subordinates to get into the car and chase after Kaitou Kid by now, but it was just as quiet as it was, saved for the disturbance caused by the excited crowd. She stared down at her phone, feeling extremely tempted to call and make sure everything was alright.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the door to the museum flung open and everyone began dashing towards the entrance, especially the reporters and cameramen. She tiptoed and jumped as much as she could to get a better view from where she was standing, and the first thing she managed to see was a couple number of people in trench coats, handcuffed and pushed towards the police cars.

And then her eyes fell onto one of the men who had a moustache, and a little memory bell rang in her head. It took her less than a second until she pictured the same face, who once appeared in front of her during her chase before firing a couple of shots that hit the back of Kaitou Kid. She froze at the sight and the hair on her arms began to stand.

 _Dangerous._

She now understood why.

Aoko went back home, the _home_ where she remembered skipping out of the door and raced Kaito to school every morning. She didn't bother calculating her expenses and took a cab again, instead of the normal train she always used to go to her old neighbourhood.

By the time she reached, it was already past midnight and the last train back was already gone. Taking a taxi home didn't sound worthy for her, and it wasn't really about money she cared about. It was because she wanted to stay.

The house was obviously empty and she shrugged off her shoes and sat on the cold couch before the TV. At such a timing, all the news channels weren't airing anymore and the incident that just happened should only be broadcast on tomorrow morning's news. Most of the shows were currently re-runs that she had no interest in too. So instead of using the sound from the television to cope with the silence and loneliness, which was what she always did in the past, she stayed on her seat and used a pillow to keep her company.

She was constantly peeking at Kaito's house through her windows, but there was never once a movement coming from there. Was she slow? Had he slept? Was he... safe? Despite the questions that repeatedly echoed in her mind, she couldn't find the energy or courage to check it out herself. It was better to hope and easier to imagine the positive answers when she didn't see or hear anything.

It was close to five in the morning when Aoko heard the sound of keys and the door opened. She jumped off her seat, eyes that were droopy and tired brightened up when she saw her father walking into the house. He blinked and before he could get any question out of his mouth, she pounced onto him and gave a big hug.

"Welcome home."

He paused and patted her shoulder. "I'm back."

Her father said he didn't plan on returning at first, but some kind of fate made him forget to stock up spare clothes in the headquarters beforehand, thus resulting in his trip back home to retrieve more. This would be the biggest case he ever handled in his life and he couldn't stay long as he had a lot of reports to file and criminals to interrogate.

Aoko made him coffee after he finished hauling a couple of clean clothes he could find from his wardrobe. Instead of a thanks when he accepted the hot drink, her father afforded a soft apology for leaving her again. She shook her head. It wasn't because she was used to it to make her accept the usual fact. This time round, she was sincerely supportive and eager for him to go back to his office, and she told him how she felt, making sure he would drink all her words and understand them. He did, Aoko was sure, when he showed her his once-in-a-blue-moon smile.

Just before they split their ways, she stopped her father by the gates with a hesitant noise she didn't know a human was capable of making. He turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow, probably thinking the same. She cleared her throat.

"What about Kaitou Kid?"

"He greatly assisted in capturing the criminals, but it would be better if I've caught him too." He sighed.

It wasn't the answer she was looking for. Aoko tried again. "So... he's safe?"

"Probably. He's Kid, after all."

She decided to believe that.

When Aoko passed Kaito's house as she made her way to the train station, she noted it remained as exactly as it looked, or was it? She was too tired to really observe. If Kaitou Kid was alive as what she saw and what her father said, then so will the true identity of the phantom thief be too, and that knowledge was enough. She didn't know where Kaitou Kid went in his glider yesterday, but as long as she was sure Kaito would return to his home one day, she had no more reason to worry and decided to continue her way to the station.

The trip back to town was horrendous. Her face was a mess and she hadn't properly slept. Luckily, her class wouldn't start till later afternoon and she took the chance to catch a few winks, shower, make her face more likable in public and headed to the baking studio after she was done.

It wouldn't be a couple of days before Kaito's class again and she didn't mind the wait, _at least_ that was what she told herself because of their supposed relationship. She shouldn't think too much about him, or anything else more than that. _Friends_ , was what she said to remind herself every single day.

Aoko stifled a yawn once she entered the studio, about to say her usual greeting to the cute receptionist when she stopped at the glass door, her eyes unable to peel off at the sight of Kuroba Kaito, who was standing before the counter with an obvious scowl on his face. It was same for Kyoko.

"You can't exchange the lessons you've missed for a _date_ with Aoko-chan, don't be silly."

"I thought it's a pretty fair proposition so just tell me her schedules already."

Kyoko noticed Aoko right away and stood up from her desk, pointing angrily at the magician. "Aoko-chan, tell your _honourable student_ to leave me alone. I'm busy!"

At some point of time during the past months, Kyoko had gone from thinking Kaito as _Aoko's-prince-charming_ to thinking of him as _the-most-annoying-and-infuriating-man-in-the-universe._ Aoko inwardly agreed as well, though she didn't know how it started. But often, she was the one who had to cool off the atmosphere between them if she happened to be there _and_ in the good mood to do so too.

Kaito turned his head, one side of his cheeks revealed a bandage. His scowl, as swift as his magic, turned into a small smile.

She closed her mouth that was hanging open a little too wide for her reputation. It wasn't a dream. It wasn't a hallucination.

He was safe, right before her eyes.

"Telling you my schedules is an absolute no." Aoko finally found her voice as she trudged inside, noticing how his blue eyes were watching her carefully like every other times. She glanced briefly at the bandage on his face before looking back at him again. "But I'm free at six after my last lesson of the day, if this information is any of your interest."

"Western?"

"That's pretty nice."

His smile grew into a smirk. "Okay."

* * *

Like mentioned in the first chapter, there wouldn't be much focus between Snake and Kid so... here's just a bunch of paragraphs to settle that part once and for all. I'm sorry if it disappoints opps  
It's all close to an ending, but not _that_ close either. That's all I have to say for now. Thanks for reading :)


	7. Chapter 7

Chrysanthemum (7)

* * *

Two years... Two years could mean a lot of things had changed, or not.

He casually suggested western for tonight's dinner, and Aoko didn't disagree. It may be out of politeness, or it could mean her taste remained the same and she still favoured food like hamburger steaks and those disgusting fish and chips she always ordered when they were together in the past. He smiled at the memory, and remembered those moments when she contemplated on whether to have dessert or not after every meal. He would give her a little push and she'll order a sundae every single time without fail. Besides stealing some spoonful of ice cream, he liked the way her smile turned as sweet as the chocolates he tasted.

Now... where should he bring her to? That old restaurant they usually hung out or-

"Excuse me, sir?"

His thoughts were cut off as he began to focus his attention to the surrounding.

"Your order?" The barista smiled.

"Oh, uh..." He squinted at the menu again. "One cappuccino."

After he made his payment, he stood aside, holding onto his receipt for clarification purposes later on. Alright, where was he? He had an hour more to think before-

"Ice latte for _Kaitou Kid_."

 _Wait. What?_ The very said man turned his head towards the counter and promptly, a teenage boy bounced towards the barista to collect his drink. He watched the puny kid with narrowed eyes as the latter animatedly exited the shop while sucking his straw. He knew his fan base was huge, but seriously-

"Cappuccino for _Kuroba_."

He made his way around the slightly crowded coffeehouse, eyes moving around to find a quiet spot and away from anyone who could potentially disturb his thoughts. It was then his eyes fell upon a horizontal wall cabinet that was filled with books for customers to read, but what caught his attention was the _thing_ that was placed on top of it.

The fish bowl looked extremely familiar. He wrinkled his nose and gritted his teeth when realization dawned upon him. It was the exact fish bowl Aoko used to threaten him months ago and he would never forget that horrible experience of sitting by the horrendous creature for two freaking hours. He stuck out a tongue in disapproval and headed to the other side of the coffeehouse without hesitation, even when there were more empty seats there. He found an isolated table solely meant for one and decided it would be the place for him to think of his spontaneous dinner ideas for tonight.

Kaito occasionally wouldn't mind distractions when he was trying to brainstorm. He told himself it was a test to his patience and ability to multitask, but at the rate he was going now, it was unacceptable. He probably wouldn't have minded or cared if he wasn't planning something as important as _this,_ and at the same time _,_ he only had one more hour to get his shit together before Aoko knocked off from work. He grudgingly wondered what his shit luck would bring to ruin him the next moment-

The phone he used solely for communicating with the Detective of the East suddenly rung on the cue. He closed his eyes and counted to ten, but gave up when he reached three.

"What?"

 _"Someone's in a foul mood."_

"Because someone is calling at the wrong timing, _duh_."

 _"I wouldn't if it isn't important. And you know it."_

That was why Kaito only counted till three. "So what is it?"

 _"We've got the bigger fish."_ There was a pause. _"It's ridiculous of me to be asking this, but you might want to consider participating for the sake of success."_

Shinichi shot him down with a bunch of things only Kaitou Kid could do, or rather because of the abilities Kaitou Kid had. Snake had finally confessed after long hours of interrogation and negotiation and they were currently instructing and sending their best teams to a man-made island just south of Nagoya, where it was said that the headquarters and most of the members of the organization occupied and worked at. The police couldn't afford any more time to waste if the news of Snake's capture reached them. _They_ would definitely try to escape with everything on the island.

Kaito clutched onto the phone. He hadn't say a word, or more like he didn't know what to say. This should be something he expected sooner or later, that was why he brought this extra phone out with him wherever he went, in case the detective needed him and his assistance in whatever they were handling. He should be prepared, but why wasn't he now?

 _"Oi, are you there?"_

"Send me the detailed geographical coordinates of the island."

 _"In two seconds."_

He cut the call. Just as promised, the numbers came in two seconds later.

Just his luck, just _his_ luck. He closed his eyes and kept the phone away, to retrieve another one from his other pocket. He only have two minutes to spare before he needed to go back and get his uniform and his disguise checked. There was no way he could go with his face like this. Clenching his jaw as he stared at his personal phone, he only had one minute and fifty seconds left.

What to say? What could he say? He had so much things to say to Aoko, and he had been so anxious about it that he came to the studio the next morning, despite his fatigue body aches and weary eyes, in hopes he could reach to her as fast as possible. But he was too eager even though the trial period of Snake's Organization hadn't ended, and eventually landed himself into greater disappointment for his inability to _truly_ resume his original life. Or maybe fate was trying to give him a chance to think twice about the choices he was about to make with Aoko. Maybe.

He began typing.

 _Sorry, something cropped up. See you next lesson._

Sent.

So stupid. So, so stupid-

His phone lit up.

 _No problem._

The two minutes was up. He abandoned his untouched drink and sprinted out of the coffeehouse and down the streets. It wasn't a coincidence he avoided running past the baking studio.

.o.

Kaito, indeed, wasn't interested in baking. He had tons of unexplored tricks and magic to come up with than to idle around with a mixer and flour. But here he was, the most dedicated student anyone could ever ask for.

However this time, Aoko wasn't the teacher he expected to see today.

The two hour lesson was the draggiest one he ever had to suffer through. Yes, beat the egg whites. Yessssss, sift the flour. YESSSSS, turn the bowl while folding to make sure the mixture would be evenly distributed. He knew all these typical, beginner steps by heart already, from the practice of baking almost a dozen of cakes for the past few months. But if it wasn't by the voice of Aoko telling him that, he grew impatient almost immediately.

When the lesson finally ended, he stomped over to the reception counter. He would have argued and demanded for a refund of his _time_ because his time was basically money, but he had other important matters in mind.

"Where's Aoko? Why isn't she teaching today?"

Kyoko almost looked unwilling to tell him. "Aoko-chan called in sick since days ago."

"Sick?" He echoed dumbly.

"Yeah." She rolled her eyes. "By the way, you're a jerk for ditching the dinner you _initiated._ "

 _I know, and-_ "I don't need you to tell me that."

Without much consideration, he headed to the direction of Aoko's house after skipping out of the studio. The chances of her being at home was high, but the bet he was placing on was whether she would want to see him at all. Still, he dropped by a restaurant to get some food for her before dashing over. He wouldn't want the food to turn cold.

When he reached outside her door, his finger hovered over the doorbell. It was a last minute decision he decided on the wimp and he would be lying if he wasn't a teeny-little nervous. It had been four days since he destroyed Pandora, four days since he last saw her, four days since he hated himself for suddenly appearing in front of Aoko after his disappearance of two weeks, only to disappear on her again. This situation was no different from those sob-stories he heard from Edogawa Conan.

Maybe the reason for her sickness was his fault. He shook his head. He shouldn't give himself so much credit. His finger curled back into a fist. Would today be the day he finally...?

With that, he slammed his fist into the doorbell.

There was no sound at first, but soon, soft and uneven footsteps became louder and louder until the door opened.

Clad in a T-shirt and shorts, Aoko blinked, adding a little sniff behind.

"Kaito? What are you doing here?"

She looked utterly pale that for a moment, Kaito wasn't sure if he knocked on the correct door. Worry etched on his face and an overwhelming power within him moved his hand, _almost_ reaching out for her cheek when she afforded a little grin that looked conflicted between genuine and mocking and it instantly stopped the mistake he almost made. Somehow, this sight instantly broke away all the thoughts running in his head and caught his breath like magic.

"You seemed pretty surprise for the one who rang my bell." Aoko placed a hand on her hip.

Only her smile, Kaito inwardly justified, was capable of making him dumb and dead for two seconds. Remarkable. He always knew she had been a wild and dangerous woman, but not till this extent.

He resumed his poker face. "I've thought I just saw a ghost."

"Funny." She glared and stepped aside. "I supposed you've heard from Kyoko about my cold?"

"Yeah."

Kaito kicked off his shoes and set it by the entrance. She took her time to lock the door before gesturing him inside. After the little corridor they walked through, they reached the bright-lit living room.

It was a habit he caught on when he was Kaitou Kid. Using the precious seconds he had, he would professionally scan over the interior, observing and remembering every tiny important detail of the place and sketching it into his brain. The house was in a spick-and-span condition, with an appropriate number of mini decorations on the walls and tables. She had arranged her furniture in a smart manner, which made the house spacious enough for at least two even though it was intended for one.

A TV was placed on a long table, and before it was a rectangular coffee table on a woolly mat and a couch meant for three. Directly behind the sofa was a counter the separated the kitchen area and the living room. It looked like a typical family kitchen, with a medium sized refrigerator, oven and several plates and pans sitting by the sink. The only difference was the large marble table situated in the middle of the kitchen, taking up nearly half of the place. He suspected it was meant for Aoko's baking practice or something like that.

His little spying activity ended there when Aoko cleared her throat and he spun towards her. She drowsily stared at him.

"Coffee or tea?"

"Neither. Have you taken you medication?"

"I did a while ago." She ironically coughed on the cue. "I'm actually in the midst of finding some food in the fridge."

"Save your effort." He raised the plastic bag in his hand, wondering if his appearance was not obvious enough.

She raised an eyebrow. "What is that?"

"Porridge. Not instant." He took the warm disposable bowl out of the plastic bag and held it by the bottom, trying to ignore the heat penetrating his skin. "It's from a restaurant I've passed by."

It took her a while to react. Was it the medication's fault? "That's really nice of you, for a person who preferred convenience than health."

 _Because it's for you._ He almost wanted to say. Instead, he held his tongue and pretended to glance around, as if searching for a dining table when he knew there was none. "Do you have a place to eat or something?"

"I don't have a dining table since it's silly if I'm the only one using it." She pointed at the coffee table. "I always eat on the floor while watching TV."

"How uncouth."

"Says the one."

He took careful steps and placed the porridge on the glass table and gave Aoko some space for her to sit on the floor before the food. He considered choosing the couch, thinking it would be best to give her comfort and space, but his hesitancy caused him to poised in between the floor and the sofa until Aoko noticed his unusual behaviour.

"What's wrong? Is your butt itchy or something?"

"No."

"Then sit down." She patted on the rug underneath her. "It's fluffy by the way. Good quality."

Of course he couldn't reject her suggestion. He sat beside her, their crossed legs almost touching.

She rummaged through the plastic bag he left on the table and took out a plastic spoon. While she was at it, he silently offered his help by removing the plastic cover for her. She thanked for the meal and tucked in.

"How is it?"

"Not bad. I thought it'll be bland for my taste bud."

Her lips seemed to regain back some colour after more spoonful of porridge and he inwardly felt happy for that observations.

And there they sat, side by side, only her slurping sound echoing the small apartment. He didn't mind the silence since he was more accustomed to it more than anything else. Besides, he was too focused on the sight in front of him than to care about the sound. But Aoko didn't think so. She searched for the remote in the drawers of the coffee table and switched on the television.

The first channel that came up was the news.

 _"Now, we will be talking about the latest updates regarding the Organization that was raided four days ago."_

"This had been going on for days." She softly said. "They must have done really terrible things to receive such attention."

 _Really terrible._ "Perhaps."

"I remember there was a huge case similar to this years ago." Aoko took a mouthful of porridge. "Black Organization, or whatever they called it. Illegal drug abuse, drug trafficking, assassinations..." Unable to continue, she focused on her food.

Kaito slouched. If he had to admit, the BO was indeed tough to handle. His perfect disguise and magic had aided Kudo Shinichi, or rather, Edogawa Conan in various situation. Kaitou Kid wasn't _kind_ enough to do a job that would risk his life and identity for nothing in return. And the price the Detective of the East had to pay was happening on the screen right now; the fall of his enemy too.

"Edogawa Conan. Remember him?"

Aoko glanced towards him, her eyes looking as hazy as her memory. It didn't take her long to recollect when the little brat had always been her idol since their high-school days.

"Kid-killer." She showed a wry smile. "Of course."

He contemplated his decisions for a second and decided to speak again. "If I tell you there's this pill that can make a teenager shrink into a kid. Will you believe me?"

This was the only time she reacted the fastest out of all the response she gave. "I've always believed you."

Kaito blinked. This wasn't the point he was trying to put across. Did she even hear what he said? He intended to repeat his words again, but her soft eyes stopped him short. It took him a little while to finally realize it was _he_ who didn't understand the point _she_ was putting across. She had always believed him, trusted him no matter what kind of lies and ridiculous bailing excuses he made. And when she _did_ doubt him once (he couldn't face a roller coaster for at least half a year after that incident), she was actually trying to prove to her father, _her precious father_ that he was wrong all along.

This, was another reason why he could never forgive himself.

He let out a sharp breath that resembled a laugh. "How about a gem that can bring immortality?"

Aoko widened her eyes before her head slowly faced the screen, the newscaster had currently switched the focus from the criminal syndicate and began reporting the related events of the night.

 _"The_ Child of the Moon _has yet to be returned to billionaire owner, Satoshi Hyuuga and the police couldn't find any trace of the stolen jewel at the moment. Is KID enchanted by the legendary diamond and has decided to keep it as his treasure?"_

"For me, I don't believe in immortality." Kaito's eyes were still glued on Aoko, watching her every movement as closely as possible. "I don't even care about it at all."

She turned towards him again, her spoon now left in the bowl. "Why not?"

"There're more things than myths and stupid treasures I care about." This time, he couldn't find the will to face Aoko. It hurts to even speak what he thought he would never say to anyone, even if it was the truth. "But I've lost them in the end."

She suddenly leaned closer to him and he unwilling glanced towards her to see what she was up to. How egotistic of him to think she was looking at him; her blue shimmering eyes were staring at the side of his cheek instead. He was no longer using the obvious and ugly gauze but a thinner and good-size band aid to cover up his wound. After a long while, she then looked him into the eye "It must be painful."

"Yeah." It wasn't just the wound he was referring about.

"But everything is alright now, right?"

He nodded, inwardly hoping that he was right this time too.

"That's good." She stared down at her bowl, unmoving. "That's good..."

The commercial break started and both of them elapsed into silence. Kaito watched a couple of bunnies jumping across the screen, introducing some sort of new carrot juice in the market. It was ridiculous, but he still fixated his eyes on the television. Was this the right moment to speak the words he wanted to say? Were the cute bunnies enough to distract her to say a yes? Aoko was right. His lies and acts were often scripted, and this sentence he was about to speak was one of it. He had planned it since a millennium ago, engraving it onto his brain and recited it more times than anything in the world. And he hoped it would all play out well like he wished for.

Kaito took in a deep breath.

"Aoko." He whispered, his eyes lowered to his legs. His heart gradually thumped faster, _even_ faster than the time he remembered falling of the roof for the first time as Kaitou Kid. "Maybe if there's any chance... _If_ , just saying. If there's any chance, can we go back to the time when we-"

He suddenly felt a plop on one side of his shoulder, the one that was nearer to Aoko.

His neck would snap if he turned it any faster. The sudden weight on his shoulder belonged to her head, along with her messy strands of hair that sprawled over his shirt. He sighed. Just when he was about to- Fate _really_ was testing him.

"Hey?" Kaito inclined his head to have a better view of Aoko's face. Just to make sure, his hand slowly moved the lock of hair that covered her features and pushed it to the back of her ear, revealing the suspected sleeping face he imagined. If he had to commend Aoko about one thing, out of all the beautiful facts he known about her, it would be that she was one of the humblest person he knew. But now, she was the biggest show-off in history. Her closed eyes were heavily emphasizing her long and curled eyelashes. The way she parted her lips was basically taunting him to feel how soft they were...

 _Shit._ He glanced away and tried to swallow the lump that was stuck in his throat. With how hot he was feeling now, he should probably check his temperature too.

Now that he thought about it, he slowly moved a hand to her forehead, feeling a healthy amount of heat passing through his skin. He smiled. The medication was definitely kicking in.

He stayed in the position for a little while more until he was sure Aoko was in a deep sleep before adjusting her body and carrying her, bridal style. There was only one room beside the living room and he wouldn't even need a brain to know it must be her bedroom. She didn't close the door, but the curtains were shut and only light from the living room helped to dimly illuminate what was inside.

It wasn't big like he expected, just a comfortable setting of a normal bedroom with simple furniture. He slowly marched towards the bed that leaned against the wall under the window and he laid Aoko's body on it with the same care as a diamond. He tucked her in, making sure to do it as gently as he could so she wouldn't accidentally wake up. She stirred once, and that was it.

He straightened his posture after he was done and glanced around, taking his time to register his surroundings. Other than a bed, there was a wardrobe and a normal desk with a compatible colour-matching chair. Nothing else. He had the decency to not peek her clothes, so instead, he checked out the table. It was definitely much neater, compared to the past since she was no longer studying. But there were a couple of papers scattered around, and sensing it was not something as sensitive as a diary, he picked it up to read, realizing it was some notes she was taking about her recipe's draft. His finger caressed over the words, feeling the little bumps on the paper.

She had always been so hardworking, always trying her best in everything she could. So much for him and her father, so little for herself. He still remembered the little book she once showed him, about all the so-called exciting and cringe-worthy couple date ideas and adventures to go, stapled with several coupons and some 1-for-1 entrance tickets offers. The memory caused him to look around the desk again, his eyes searching for the little book he'd always seen. Of course, it couldn't be found.

Why would it be anyway?

Deciding he had invaded Aoko's privacy enough, he placed the notes back to where it was supposed to be and peered over his shoulder. His body began moving on its own. He slowly bent down and settled on the floor beside the bed, propping his elbow on the soft white sheets and set his chin on his palm, silently watching the covers over her chest rose and fell. Despite how meaningless it was, he felt a weird feeling of satisfaction inside him. A small smile unconsciously reached his lips.

How stupid of him, he should have checked how big the hole was before jumping in. Now he was in far too deep to get out. He was so, God damn, in love with this girl and he had no idea what to do about it but to stare at her like this.

He slowly inched his hand over to Aoko's and began outlining her fingers, his skin barely touching hers. This was the same hand that destroyed the _Child of the Moon_ , the same hand that shoot card guns at tyres of Inspector Nakamori's police car, the same hand that turned Aoko away so he would be shot instead of her. It was also the same hand that gave her the rose during their first meeting, and the same hand that was slapped away from her as she was crying and screaming that she never want to see him ever again.

His hand returned to his side.

Becoming the ghost of his father to lure the bad guys out, _what a perfect plan,_ he thought. But instead of the bad guys, he ended up hurting the wrong people.

He crossed his arms and set it on the bed sheets, acting it as a cushion for his head. "I'm not the smart Kuroba Kaito you've thought I was." He muttered. He was just a liar. "I'm sorry."

After a few more minutes of watching how Aoko's chest rose and fell again, he realized he was about to be hypnotized by the rhythm and lullaby of her soft snore and he quickly woke himself up by standing, deciding he couldn't stay any longer or he'd be stepping out of the boundaries of _friends_. If he tried hard enough, he would've forgotten about their status for a while, but he wanted to respect Aoko and she deserved it.

He checked her temperature for one last time, to see a satisfying result that made him more comfortable and determine to leave. Afterwards, he walked to the living room to clean up the food Aoko didn't finish. It was the least he could do.

When everything was done, he left for the door. Kaito wondered if he should leave a rose behind, but thought otherwise.

Next time, perhaps.


	8. Chapter 8

Chrysanthemum (8)

* * *

Hakuba's wedding was beyond surreal. Despite claiming it was a small event he was holding for his Japanese friends and acquaintances and he would hold the bigger and formal one in England, Aoko really couldn't imagine how the latter would turn out when the so-called small event was as grand as this.

Hundreds of white roses were scattered across a vast field of Yoyogi Park in Tokyo, with plentiful beautiful laced white-clothed round tables and matching chairs for the guests to rest and chat. Aoko knew the detective would prepare the best kind of delicacies and finger food for everyone, but the only gift she could afford to the ever-rich Hakuba was her baking talents alone, so she presented him an extra table filled with goodies she was proud of. This was as much as she could give, compared to other guests who gifted exquisite diamonds and priceless wines. Hakuba was nonetheless grateful, though.

It was like a mini class gathering too, after so many years when everyone went on their separate ways. It was hard to recognize a few of them when they either grew horizontally or vertically bigger, and some were even carrying babies in their arms. Everyone stopped by a few tables to catch up, laughing with their wine about all the horrible memories of a high-school student. And most of these stories involved Kaito.

"He once disguised as me and did something stupid and I was sent detention instead." One of her classmate, Kyosuke sighed. But his miserable-looking eyes soon lit up like a bright Christmas tree. "Though I guess if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have met Hinami-chan."

The group instantly giggled at the couple who began intertwining their hands with a blush on their cheeks. It wasn't rare for romance to blossom in a class, in fact, school couples were even more common regardless of the difference in class or years and Kyosuke and Hinami was one of them, still going strong and preparing for their engagement in a month time.

Aoko sighed heavenly at the sight of the sweet little pair before Keiko excitedly pointed to the other end of the park, to which everyone including her turned to see what she was fussing about.

"Speak of the devil!"

Kuroba Kaito trudged towards the crowd, his mouth wiggling a piece of mint-chocolate macaroon in his mouth. Aoko stared at the dessert before realizing it was actually made by her own hands, and to see him chewing her hard-work so aloofly caused a vein to pop on her temple, but she hid her anger as well as she could.

"Where's Hakuba?" Kaito mumbled after gobbling the food down.

"He's with his police colleagues." Keiko replied.

"Oh, I thought I heard you said _speak of the devil_. I assumed Hakuba the devil was here."

Aoko rolled her eyes. " _You're_ the devil."

He turned to her with ease. "Then you're the Satan."

It was obvious that everyone was watching them with careful eyes, as if they were expecting something would happen. But Aoko honestly couldn't blame them when she and her idiot table partner were the cause for all the traumas and troubles in class.

"What's the difference?" She spat.

"Exactly." Kaito grinned. "We're two peas in the pod."

She literally shivered and attempted to stomp on his fine looking shoes but missed, like usual.

"Oh my God Kuroba, you and your stupid flirting needs to stop."

"I've heard you guys broken up. Guess it was fake?"

"Eh, they've broken up? Since when?"

"That couldn't be." In the midst of the heated discussion, their class rep suddenly turned towards Aoko. "Come on, tell us the truth."

Aoko was expecting this question to hit her sooner or later when anyone inquiry about her relationship with Kaito. During their senior year when they went out, it was the biggest craze in the whole school that once, the discipline mistress had to stop them in the middle of the corridor and asked them what kind of schemes or pranks _they_ were up to. Did she really look more like his assistant than his girlfriend?! But then, those days had been...

She lowered her eyes.

 _...Fun._

And knowing that she was going to be asked, Aoko was all prepared for the possible blows and pains in her chest. But all the expected cringes and heartaches she once felt didn't happen at all. If she had to choose, _free_ would perhaps be the proper term to describe what she was feeling now. She never knew she had really let it all go until the question she once avoided at all cost truly came.

"Yes, we broke up." She finally confirmed.

Loud, exaggerated gasps echoed among the crowd that a couple of other guests turned to see what the commotion was about. Kaito simply sighed beside her.

"Why? I can't believe it!"

"You guys aren't serious, are you?"

"I bet they are going to back together sooner or later. You know, their usual lover's quarrel."

Everyone laughed, saved for the two main leads of the joke.

She knew it. Nobody was going to believe about how serious her break up with Kaito was, except for Keiko and Sayaka, though they seemed a little teasing about it at the start and she even recalled overhearing about their bet on when they would patch up together again. Apparently both of them lost; one of them bet on two weeks while the other bet on two days. Who thought it could be two years? Her two best friends finally gave in to stop the mocking and Aoko couldn't be happier. After all, there was no way she could tell anyone the _truth_ , and hearing Kuroba Kaito's name at the starting period of the separation was like rolling around in shattered glass.

"I need a break." Aoko mumbled and managed to slip out of everyone's view as their attention settled on Kaito instead. Keiko and Sayaka asked if she needed company and she declined their offer, stating she wanted some time to herself.

Aoko greeted a few other familiar faces along the way as she stepped away from the venue, the white roses on the ground soon turned to the original grass field of the park. In her long maxi dress, it looked extremely weird for her to loiter in the park where most of the people were clad in something more sporty or casual, so she took a few turns to avoid the popular areas until she found a desolated spot that was coincidentally by a lake.

She gave herself a few minutes to be mesmerized by the beauty of the place before sitting down on a clean-looking spot of grass under a huge shady tree. There were little flowers blooming at the roots of the tree and Aoko carefully touched the tip of the petals, her mind slowly drifting to her new recipe for the cupcakes she had been experimenting recently. This was exactly the alone-time she yearned for and she jokingly wondered if she should find some days to come here to get some quiet moments to keep her thoughts cleared. She definitely needed it ever since Kaito came back into her life. Aoko bent her knees and wrapped an arm to lock it to her chest, her other hand dancing from flowers to flowers.

Her peace was soon interrupted by a voice behind her.

"You ditched me."

Aoko glanced to her back, watching Kaito with a scowl as he walked towards her with both hands in his pocket.

"Are you expecting me to explain on your behalf?" She scoffed once he plopped himself on the grass beside her. "I'm not a great liar like you."

Kaito stopped short for a split moment. She was half expecting some kind of witty retort or comeback from him, but after a second, he only gave a simple and soft "I guess not." before looking into the lake in front of them, the conversation officially over.

"How do you even find me here?"

"I asked around if they've seen any mad woman passed by. Their answers lead me here."

She roughly pushed his arm, almost causing him to fall to his side. He gave a loud shout in defence before chortling to himself. Despite her rough gesture, the point when she was angry marked a winning victory for him.

"If you're here to annoy me, I suggest you to leave or your head will be inside the lake."

He raised a hand. "But all I did was to answer your question though."

"Mad woman." She narrowed her eyes dangerously. " _Really?_ "

"A beautiful woman in maxi dress is the real answer."

Aoko widened her eyes, heat slowly creeping from the back of her neck and to her cheeks. She turned away with a scoff, hoping the sudden redness of her face was camouflaged well with the blusher she used today. Even if she was inwardly embarrassed by his use of adjective about her, she guessed he was probably exaggerating his words to make her feel this way on purpose. It had always been his talent after all.

"If you're uncomfortable about the situation back there, you don't have to worry anymore." Kaito said. "I've cleared up everything."

"Clear up everything?" She warily looked back at him. "What? You told them you're Kaitou Kid?" She didn't mean to give him this kind of personal attack, though she decided he deserved it.

"I've simply said we needed some time apart to figure things out." He gave a weak smile. "It may not be the whole truth, but _that's_ still part of the truth, right?"

Her lips parted, unable to speak like a fish in a water. Truth? She was almost too blinded by the lies she remembered hearing to even remember the truth. But _if_ this was what he said, _if_ this was really the truth he was saying-

"Aoko."

She tentatively turned towards him.

"Do you think we can ever go back to the time when we're together again?"

Aoko immediately noticed the way his expression faltered, his smile turning completely different from the real one she always saw. Even if his previous _real_ smiles were all a pretense, his skill of acting this time round was too poorly done. He was forcing it out, and if she could see through his disguise this easily, she knew he must have been _really_ distracted by something or some sort to forget his poker face. His words had taken her aback, but his haywire emotions were something that caught her attention more.

It took her a very long while to completely register his words to her brain. She really didn't know how to answer, at least not now. If he had asked this question a year ago, she would definitely slap him and tell him to ask himself. This time, she didn't feel the urge to raise her hand, and not even a slightest thought of wanting to hurt him appeared in his mind. He often pranked her in the past and she always had her sweetest revenge, with a fish as bonus. So since he threw her into the darkest moment of her life, she _should_ do the same back. She could reply him with an answer that would destroy him, even if it was a lie or not.

The tree swayed along with the wind as she dumbly stared at the yellow leaves floating down and scattering all around them. Perhaps this kind of revenge didn't suit her at all.

"Sorry." He spoke again, breaking the silence. "I think I've said something I shouldn't."

His eyes were cast down like a lost child, a look she remembered seeing in the mirror during the days when she couldn't find Kaito after Kaitou Kid was shot. She set her chin on her bent knees, her fingers reached out for the hem of her maxi dress by her ankle, feeling the soft fabric in her hand. It took her some time again until she finally searched the rights words she thought it was appropriate to say. Even though staying silent could be one of her choice of action, Aoko knew how it sucked to hear no answer. She had been through that phase enough to know.

"Kaito." She licked her dry lips, her sidelong glance noticed how his head had spun abruptly towards her. "I... don't hate you anymore, at least not as much as in the past." Her eyes carefully moved to his features, capturing every brief moment of expression on his face. If she had to decipher the meaning behind his stare, it was as if he was looking at his entire world. She choose to gaze down at her feet, the best decision for her to stay focus on the remaining words she wanted to say. "About going back in the past... I don't know, or maybe I don't know how."

 _There's still hope. But-_ "I need more time."

"Of course." Kaito replied right away. "If time is all you need, time is all I will give."

Her concentration was cut off as she turned to look at him sceptically. The worries of everything was all sent to the back of her mind. "You sounded poetic for a moment." She blurted out.

"It depends if the listener knows how to appreciate it."

Aoko rolled her eyes. "More like if the listener understands the crap that comes out from your mouth."

"At least you understand. And it's enough for me."

Maybe she _understood_ too well to believe all the shitty things he said.

They sat in silence, watching a few ducks floating along the surface of the peaceful lake. It was a rare serene sight to see and they had no idea how immensely distracted they were by something so silly and innocent until the blueish-green lake slowly became mixed with a hue of deep orange from the colour of the setting sun, which was about to disappear among the tall trees in the park.

Aoko straightened her legs and stretched her back, giving a relaxed and indefinable human noise. She would have cared for her image if it wasn't Kaito who was sitting beside her.

"Do you want to go back?" She asked.

He turned to face her. "Can we stay here if I say no?"

"I don't mind."

It wasn't a bad idea after all.

.o.

Another new day, but it wasn't particularly _new_ or anything.

"Good morning Kyoko." Aoko chimed as she stepped into the baking studio like every other day. The receptionist perked up with a smile as her first response.

"Good morning- Oh!" Kyoko began rummaging through several papers on her desk before handing Aoko an envelope when the latter reached the desk. "You've got mail. Seems like something important since it's delivered on its own, and as early as the time I opened up the studio."

Mails she received at work were usually about future events she was asked to be involved in, such as preparing dessert tables for weddings, but never once had she ever received a mail with such high priority level. Aoko accepted the envelope with more curiosity than excitement and flipped it from the back to the front. There's wasn't anything special or suspicious about the letter... wait, why did _that_ thought even appear in her mind?

She shook her head and decided to open it there and then; there was still a lot of time before her next lesson start. She pulled out the content and began to read. It was a small cruise event that would be happening next week, and there was an address and the boat number indicated in the paper, along with the date and time to meet the host to discuss more about the cost and personal requests.

It was dated today evening.

This decision was almost _too_ sudden. There wasn't any contact details left behind either so she couldn't reply or negotiate the time to meet, not like she wasn't free, but...

 _This is weird._

"This is weird."

Aoko spun her head around, her face almost colliding into the man who whispered right behind her ears. Her heart fluttered at the sight of his blue, deep eyes and the words he once said to her echoed in her mind like magic again.

 _"Do you think we can ever go back to the time when we're together again?"_

She stepped back and used a scowl to disguise the possible reason for the redness of her face as she hide the letter behind her back. She thought she still had more time to think about his words and about everything between them now, but a new week had begun and she had to see Kaito in her lessons like every other time. It was so hard for her to run away.

"What are you doing here?"

Kaito's eyes never left the letter. It took him a while before he looked at her. "Our lesson is starting, if you've forgotten."

"So what's the content about?" Kyoko prompted. "Do I need to arrange anything?"

"There's no need. The client wants to meet during my free time so I'll settle it myself first." Aoko smiled, genuinely happy with the distraction Kyoko made to get her to be a little less flustered than before. Since the event was scheduled next week, a fast meet-up shouldn't be strange, and she shouldn't be paranoid over nothing. What could be wrong with this anyway? She caressed the corner of the letter before keeping it back to inside the envelope. "Thanks anyway."

As Aoko began heading to the staff's room, it wasn't surprising to know that Kaito was following closely behind her. She expected nothing more than his usual stoic and quiet way of trying to approach her, not until he spoke.

"Shall I accompany you to the harbour later?"

She turned and narrowed her eyes. "You're a fast reader, and a rude _stalker_."

He shrugged as she continued her way. "So is it a yes or a no?"

"No."

Once Aoko reached the door to the lockers, she purposely pointed at the _NO ENTRY Staff Only_ sign hanging on the knob, just because she _believed_ he would really follow her in if she didn't stop him. Kaito only gave a silent desolate sigh, raising his hands in a surrender mode as he stepped back from the door that he almost passed through. She thought he would finally go away, but she had always been wrong about him, despite how much she _knew_ him in the past.

"Let me put in another way. Do you want someone to accompany you?" Kaito said, his back leaning against the side of the door as he turned his head in. For a moment, she thought he looked like the cool cowboy she recently got infatuated with, a character from a show she was currently watching. Aoko got to get her eyes checked soon.

"I don't need anyone to accompany me." She slammed her locker shut and headed to the hanging aprons.

"I'm asking if you want."

"I certainly do not want too."

He was at a losing end, or so she thought.

"That's great." He grinned. "Then I should certainly follow you, in order to live up to my name as a stalker."

Aoko rolled her eyes and could only afford a glare at him as she was too busy tying a perfect knot for her apron to reach the mop kept inside one of the cabinets. What on earth did he want from her? She didn't realize she had spoken her thoughts aloud.

"Suddenly receiving a letter to meet on a yacht at late evening, I shouldn't be the only one who thinks it's weird, right? Inspector Nakamori?"

"I'm not Inspector Naka-"

"And the letter didn't state that you're not allowed to bring an assistant."

She frowned. "You're not my assistant."

"We can play pretend."

It was so _damn_ unfair that he managed to read her feelings more than she could herself. He was right, it did seem weird, and now that he mentioned it, a meeting at a small cruise with people she wasn't familiar at the time nearing night... she finally understood what was with her uneasiness at the start. She contemplated her decisions seriously and he somehow understood, letting her to think in silence. His presence would do some help to lessen her nervousness, and perhaps she could even seal the deal faster this way... There was no reason to object, saved for his unknown gadgets and pranks he had up his sleeve.

"Okay. We _can_ play pretend." Aoko wagged her finger. "But give me any of your tricks and the only thing you'll see before your world turns black would be my fist or the mop. Your choice."

He smiled.

It was the most common emotion he showed, yet it always confused her more than anything else.

.o.

Aoko always rely on cabs and the duties of the driver if she needed to go to a place she wasn't familiar with, that was why when she read the letter, she had no idea the destination for the meet up was a quiet and small port that was situated near a dense forest, with little lamps around to properly lit up the area for people to safely travel around. It was still early evening so Aoko wasn't as scared as of yet, but if the discussion lasted even an hour long, she was pretty sure the entire area would be too dark for her comfort.

She glanced over at Kaito who was walking along the narrow path towards the port after the driver dropped them off. It was lucky that he was stubborn in his decision and she was willing to go along with him. If not... she had no idea what to do, unless the client was a great person and offered her a ride back to town, although she wasn't sure if she would even agree to his or her kindness due to unfamiliarity.

"Is that the yacht?"

Her eyes travelled to the sole white boat floating at the end of the dock. It looked rather new from what she observed, though the emptiness of the pier was what distracted her the most. She fumbled in her bag after realizing she had yet to answer Kaito's question and pulled out the letter. She scanned through the numbers on the paper before checking the yacht again.

"Yeah it is. It must be too, since it's the only boat here."

Kaito shrugged.

They approached to the end of the dock and scrutinized the boat for one last time. It should be big enough for a group of 20 to comfortably enjoy their vacation on the sea and Aoko instantly wondered what kind event would be held in there. Birthday? Anniversary? She peered down at the letter again. The information simply said cruise event...

Aoko shook her head and stuffed the paper back into her bag before turning to Kaito. "Should we go in?" She prompted.

He contemplated for a moment and glanced around their surroundings. It was weird how she was considering his idea when this invitation was meant for her. Nonetheless, she waited for his reply.

"Let's go in."

Surprisingly, there was a dock boarding steps conveniently placed by the side of the yacht. Aoko stepped on it first and climbed up, with Kaito watching her carefully before he followed suit once she was done. The boat shook a little at the increase of their weight, but other than that, it looked and sounded completely peaceful on board. She loitered around the deck for a while before heading inside, as usual, with Kaito standing quietly and closely behind her.

She pushed the sliding door aside and blinked a couple of times at the sudden welcoming atmosphere. It was as if she just entered a portal and landed herself in a relaxing and elegant dimension when she stepped into the interior of the yacht, compared to the plain looking deck outside. In the main room, there were two brown leather couch side by side, with a long table that reached from one end to the other. Further in, there was a tall bar counter with a couple of high chair and wine glasses hanging from the ceilings. She stared in awe, continuing her little adventure to inspect what kind of gem was hidden behind. True enough, the gorgeous kitchen made of purely marble and the glass dining table certainly didn't disappoint her.

"This place is out of my mind." Aoko breathed.

"Really? Looks boring to me."

Aoko flashed an annoyed gaze at Kaito before fishing out her phone to check the time. They reached just on the dot, but the client hadn't arrive yet. She shrugged. Judging solely by this yacht, she was sure the person must be really rich and busy to afford something like this.

All of the sudden, the sound of an unfamiliar ringing tone softly played. Her eyes shot up and glanced over at Kaito, who was staring back at her too.

"Your call?" Aoko waved the blank screen of her phone.

"Oh." His hand quickly slapped to his back pocket and whipped out a phone that Aoko never seen him used before. Was it a new one? She inclined her head when she saw how Kaito's nonchalant face turned into a little frown once he stared at the screen. He answered the call and turned his back towards her. "Hello." He muttered.

On the cue, her phone suddenly lit up on her hand and she got a little shock that it almost slipped out of her grasp. Regaining her composure, she glanced at the caller's name and gave a little frown that was almost on par with Kaito's.

It was her father.

Aoko was pretty sure their dinner date wouldn't happen until three days later. Was he already so sure it had to be postponed that he called in advance? With that miserable thought, she answered the call and was about to give a disappointed greeting, but her father beat her to it.

 _"Aoko. Where are you?"_

"Eh?" She blinked, a little surprise with the cold and firm voice her father rarely gave to her. Not just his tone, the question was weird too. The little confusion she was feeling didn't help to fix her thoughts carefully as she blindly answered her father's question. She suddenly heard muffled shouts and soft echoes of footsteps tapping everywhere until her father returned her the attention she deserved.

 _"I'm coming over with my team to pick you up. Stay where you are and don't go anywhere else, even if someone asked you to."_

Aoko frowned. Something was definitely _absurd_ right here. There was no reason for her dad to get her today, and moreover bringing his _squad_ just for her? She wasn't some kind of queen that needed escort or anything. It must be something more than that. "Wait a minute. What's wrong?

 _"Just listen to what I've said."_ His tone strained with anxiety. _"I'll tell you more once I arrive soon."_

Hearing how her father spoke in this rare manner, she couldn't find the heart to press on for answers. Aoko sighed when she took a little peek over at Kaito. She had already learnt her lessons before and she wasn't going to repeat the same old mistakes again. Instead of her usual persistence, she gave in and simply agreed to his request.

 _"Good. Be saf-"_

Aoko blinked when the voice cut away and she pulled the phone away from her ear before sighing at the dark screen. Her battery had went flat. It wasn't surprising anyway when she had been out of her house the whole day. She glanced over at Kaito as she kept her phone in her pocket, who still had his back facing her and currently in the middle of his apparent endless conversation. With his low and hush whispers, it was hard to make out what he was talking about, but when she managed to catch a glimpse of his side features, it was rather obvious from his little scowl that it wasn't something pleasant. Was it _work_ related? Jii-chan? Or...

She looked away and stared at the high chairs by the counter before deciding to approach one for a seat. It wasn't her duty to pry.

Just as she sat on the chair to rest her legs, Kaito cut the call and faced her, his expression turning so livid that she was sure she had never seen it before.

"Aoko, we have to lea-"

 _Beep._

Silence.

 _Beep._

The sound was coming from underneath the high chair she was sitting, and from the staring contest between her and Kaito, Aoko was pretty sure what they both had in mind were pretty much the same. The same, soft beeping that she recognized and remembered hearing on the first day she met Kaito after two years... The sound that came from the blue bomb she was holding in her hand...

 _Bomb._

Without a word, Kaito sprinted to her side and bent down to see what was under her chair.

"Please tell me it's a joke." Aoko whimpered. "If you tell me now, I won't hit you as hard as I intended to."

"Believe me. I really want to tell you it's a joke." He pushed himself off the floor and began rummaging through cabinets and cabinets. "But it isn't."

"Oh God."

He came back to her with a toolbox he found and gave a reassuring smile. It was amazing how he could still act so composed at this moment. Or maybe he was too used to this already.

"Do you have your phone? Try contacting the police while you've got the time."

"My battery is dead, but D-dad is on his w-way. He called a while ago and told me he w-wants to pick me up."

"That's good enough."

She gulped, realization slowly dawning upon her. Was this the reason why her father was coming to her? Did he know something like this was going to happen? Why was this happening?! Her lips trembled as she gripped the sides of her seat, knuckles turning white. She took in steady breaths, watching as Kaito slipped under her chair, tools and metal started clinking softly against each other.

Did Kaito knew about this danger as well? He was about to ask her to leave. It must have something to do with the phone call he got a while ago. Thousands of questions were prickling and killing her brain cells, but this was the only way to distract herself from bursting out in tears, which would certainly not help the situation they were in. She didn't need to add on to Kaito's heavy burden.

"H-How long do we have?"

There was a pause. "Four minutes and two seconds." He hesitantly said.

 _That fast?!_ She could literally feel her heartbeat pounding in her ears. _No. No. No! This can't be-!_

"Is your panties red, blue or yellow today?"

She alarmingly widened her eyes and glanced down beneath her chair, though she made sure her butt still remained glued to her seat. His face was mostly covered, but she wanted to make sure her possible cracked voice was directed to him so he could hear her loud and clear.

"W-What a-are you talking a-about now?!"

Kaito slightly shifted his head out between two of the chair's legs, his poker face intact. "There are three coloured wire. Red, blue and yellow. Something typical you see in the movie, but it isn't something I'm used to dispose of."

He once walked on air, teleported from places to places, ran faster than a bullet and even survived one too. There was nothing Kaito couldn't do, and that was what she wished she could believe now too. But...

"Is it s-something you're not confident in?" Aoko's lips quivered.

"So is your panties red, blue or yellow?"

"You can't be seriously doing what you're about to do, right?!" She yelled.

He turned back to the bomb, the chair blocking her view again. "It's a chance I need to take to see what kind of bomb it truly is behind these wires."

A _chance_. She pursed her lips. Kaito always took bets he knew he could win, but he knew and loved to manipulate it in a way to show as if he was taking a risk in all the decisions he made, making the audiences went cooing and impressed with his mad antics. She'd came up with that conclusion one day after seeing his thousandth sly smirk whenever he wrapped up his magic every time. How despicable, yet remarkable for Aoko's taste.

To think that they would end up in this situation... She had no idea how to bear the burden if the sole _chance_ he ever took on her was wrong. But was there even any other choice?

"I-It's..." Aoko closed her eyes. "It's blue."

"I can almost imagine it."

"Kaito!"

His soft chuckle easily drowned out the beeping of the bomb, but it died down a little too soon and the terrible rhythmically beeping continued to haunt Aoko's head. She heard him taking a deep breath before everything fell into deep silence.

The beeping stopped.

A sweat trickled down her stilled face as Aoko slowly bent forward. She could hear the Kaito's exhale of breath before he wriggled his body out of the chair.

"Are your blue panties your lucky panties?"

She was too relieved to care about the comment. "W-We're safe now?"

He could only show a tired nod.

Aoko closed her eyes and placed her heavy head into the palms of her hands. The sound of her sob got stuck in her throat and she took in one deep breath to get back all the air she was lacking from her nervousness before. This must really be her lucky blue panties. She unsteadily dropped herself off the highchair and was about to afford a helping hand to Kaito when the beeping sound suddenly escalated.

She snapped her neck towards the bomb as Kaito scrambled his way back through the space between the two chair's legs and pressed his fingers tightly to connect the blue wire that he snapped apart. Only when he managed to do it with his fast hands, the rate of the sound returned to how it was before.

The countdown was back. And they only had a minute left.

"Wh-Why?!" Aoko gave a hoarse cry as she kneeled on all fours, unable to withstand the shock that surged through her body. "I thought the bomb had b-been disarmed?"

Although his brows were furrowed, Kaito had the talent to present his usual cool smirk to go along with his troubled looking face. "I supposed this is an undefusable bomb. When I cut the blue wire, the main bomb had stopped temporarily. But once you've moved, the standby detonator was activated. The timer will go probably five times faster than original."

The soft beeping continued.

"So..." Aoko pressed a hand over her mouth. "You mean..."

"I can try to remove the standby detonator but..."

 _It's all my fault._ Her eyes were turning hot from the tears that began to brim her eyes. _I'm nothing but a bur-_

His smirk fell. "We don't have time left. You got to get out of here, fast."

"Not again!" She exclaimed as she gave a glance at the red numbers on the bomb. _Fifty-four, fifty-three..._ Why did he always regard his life so little compared to hers? She should have stayed while he left. It was her mistake and a trap meant for her, not Kaito. She should be the one saying those words back to him. "I'm not going to leave you here alone! We have to get out of here together!"

He swallowed hard and flicked his gaze to the bomb again. "Alright. When I count to three, run as far as possible. And don't ever look back."

She nodded repeatedly, her throat too numb to speak.

Kaito propped himself up with one elbow, the other hand still pressing the broken blue wire together. "One. Two. Three!"

Her legs and hands practically flew up from the floor as she dashed with the speed her physical body could allow. She ran past the table, the chairs, and out to the deck and gave the highest leap over the metal railings and rolled over the hard floor of the dock. This had been the fastest she had ever ran, faster than all her mop-chasing, faster than the time when she ran away from Kaito after he spoke the truth to her...

There was no sound.

And then an explosion.

The flames and dusts engulfed the entire boat, all its whiteness and majestic feeling had turned to a scene similar to hell. Bits of the yacht floated in the sea, on fire. Huge chunks of the wooden piers that was a safe distance away from her were missing and-

And Kaito.

"Kaito!" She screamed as she flung herself towards the said man who was lying way behind her and a little too dangerously close to the beyond-repaired yacht. She could feel the heat of the flames almost burning her skin once she reached over to him and all she could do was to pull him up and propped his arm over her shoulder and dragged him to a safer distance, or rather till the point when she was too weak to move any further.

Aoko plopped down heavily onto the wooden boards of the dock with Kaito by her side. It would take her some time before she could get back her breathing pace, but she had more important concern she had in mind. Aoko turned the unmoving Kaito and let his front face the sky. She began nudging his face, his shoulders and before she knew it, she was shaking his torso.

"Kaito? Kaito answer me!"

If she had a choice, she would choose to run away from the truth again. But she couldn't waste any time now. Gaining all the courage she had, she shifted his head a little upwards and placed her ear near his mouth.

She couldn't hear any breathing.

Kaito had always been a fast runner, but why was he behind her? Aoko knew he must have lied again. He definitely did. Why was she so stupid to not realize how odd it was when he didn't argue with her like the time at Jii-chan's secret storage room, and also agreed to her almost unrealistic demands so easily? Why hadn't she noticed it?! He clearly had no intention to follow the plan he made up at all.

He let her ride the bet he knew she could win. He took the chance for his own escape instead.

"To hell with you!" Aoko bawled. "The only one sending you there is my fist! Not here! Not now!" She professionally and instantly interlocked her hands, palms down and positioned it a little below Kaito's breastbone with hardened arms and all readied to give the firm, necessity type of strength for the push. She only gave herself one chance to close her eyes, before opening them with a determined look and began pressing her hands down on his body.

 _Please. Please!_

After mentally counting the thirtieth solid push, it was time to give him the first rescue breath. Aoko used a hand to tilt his head back with his forehead and open his airway. _Yes. Yes. Yes._ She yelled in her mind and played the steps she remembered from her stay at the police academy training centre. Kaito could be saved. He _would_ be saved.

Aoko pinched his nose with her fingers and placed her mouth over his, making a complete seal. She gave a normal breath until his chest rose, which she inwardly cried for happiness when it did. She then proceeded to give a second rescue breathe before going back to compression immediately. The whole process continued on and on and on and on- The only thing that changed in the situation were the tears and sweat streaking down her face.

Where's her father? Didn't he promise he'll arrive soon? Why wasn't he here yet? Kaito couldn't- Her eyes wanted to drift away from her hands to his face, but she was too scared to do it, in fear of shattering her heart once again. This stupid idiot, telling her twice that he'd lost her. Hadn't she lost him too? Was this some kind of competition they were playing? If he really died on her right now, she wouldn't be losing him once _or_ twice. It would be the third time. First he became Kaitou Kid, second he became a liar who didn't want to tell her anything. She lost the Kuroba Kaito she loved and he became those two things she hated to the core. And now he was going to leave her, and she knew that _he knew_ how much she hated to be abandoned and alone... And now he was going to do the third thing she hated the most.

That was one characteristic of his that never changed; _Always_ doing things that frustrated her to the end of the world.

"Didn't you once tell me," she exclaimed between her sobs, "that you'll not leave me until I'm wrinkly, old and dying in the arms of at least ten of our grandchildren?"

Why couldn't he just keep that one promise and let it be truthful till this day? Why was he so bloody selfish? This Bakaito-

Her strength centralizing on her palm was decreasing and decreasing, the sobs and hiccups was overwhelming her and ironically, she was finding herself hard to breathe. Everything was blurry and she tried to blink her tears away, but more only accumulated in her eyes and Kaito soon became part of everything in her foggy vision. Or maybe there wasn't a difference from how he had always been to her in the past. He was never in her sight, even if he was literally with her every time. His body was there, but his soul and mind wasn't, or more like she couldn't see them with her naive eyes. This time round, however, she had awakened enough to visualize a pile of sorry lies and a human form of the phantom thief, heart stopped beating and lying there in front of her.

Still, nothing was going to stop her from pressing down her tired locked hands. Though unwilling to give up, she wasn't sure how her pitiful effort could do any help, even if she really wanted to comfort herself in this situation. She had always been doing her best in everything, so why did she not deserve a happy ending like everyone else too?

"Why do you... always lie to me?"

Aoko gave him the first rescue breath, and then the second again before she weakly positioned herself over his chest again. And just when she wanted to proceed with the compression, Kaito's body began stirring under her skin.

She rushed to his face and began calling out for his name when he abruptly threw into a mad coughing fit. She used all the energy she left within her to lift Kaito's back up and let him rest his side against her chest to prevent him from choking any further.

"Kaito? Kaito!

He slowly peeled open as his blue eyes blinked dazedly at her face and it took nearly an eternity for her to finally receive a respond.

"Ao...ko..."

She wailed, her sobbing and terrible crying face snuggled into his collar. She could feel his hand weakly snaking its way up her arm as he gave a comforting squeeze.

Just then, faint sounds of sirens came not far from where she was, but she was too focused on Kaito to care about the thundering footsteps of firefighters scurrying to the burning scene, and even her father who finally reached to her side after all her prayers.

"Aoko-! Kaito-kun?!" Her father then whirled to one of his subordinates, instructing him to get the paramedics over here.

She didn't care if she was soaking with her sweat, or her face was covered with ugly tear stains. She didn't care how her father and the other police members were looking at her, or how Kaito was even looking at her. She didn't care about anything, but she cared a lot that Kaito was safe in her arms. No matter the thousand litres of tears, the painful betrayals and whatever had happened in the past, or whether she choose to forgive him or whatsoever plans she hadn't decide in the future, he was most importantly alive _now._

Because she was stupid, and stupidly _still_ in love with Kuroba Kaito and she couldn't imagine losing him in the way that was irrevocable if she ever wanted him back.

* * *

UGHH Please pardon my shitty research on CPR and probably unrealistic handling of bomb. I would've warned you guys at the beginning but I thought it'll be a major spoiler to the chapter so I'll leave my apologies here.

Thanks for reading and leave a thought if you like :)  
ps: next chapter is the last. Opps.


	9. Chapter 9

Chrysanthemum (9)

End/. Epilogue

* * *

"Let me give you a hug!"

"By hug, do you mean breaking my ribs even further?"

His mother retorted with a pull of his cheek and he winced in pain, the little shout caused a slight tension to his chest. Kaito rubbed his sore face and sat on the sofa as she followed to sit beside him.

"We should make it as a compulsory morning greeting."

"Of all times, why are you setting this rule when I'm _suffering an injury in the chest_?"

Chikage sighed. "If you're willing to eat fish, it would've healed faster."

"Stop forcing me." Kaito switched on the television, something he hadn't done for a million of years. He would prefer reading news articles or updates from his phone or tablet, but as an opportunity was here to finally entertain his mother, he fully grasped onto it.

Just his luck, the first thing the TV showed was the news about the yacht incident.

It had been a couple of days since he rowed his way to his grave, to only be sent back to Earth. This whole incident, obviously, was set up by one escaped members of Snake's Organization. The bomber threatened the safety of the Inspector's daughter, in exchange of freedom to his crimes and monetary value in order for him to escape Japan and lead a better life somewhere else. That dumbass had hoped for a fat chance when he sent the threat to the police, to only be tracked down by the infamous Kudo Shinichi for his skills of analysing how the letter came, where the letter came and bla bla bla-

The culprit was arrested. But that still didn't stop the bomb from exploding.

There was no way both of them could get out to good safety if he released the wire as promised to Aoko. Eventually, there were only three outcomes he could choose. 1) They would get partially hurt, but the critical level couldn't be predetermined, and that's _not_ a good thing at all. 2) Both of them die because she refused to go without him. 3) He tricked her and she would willingly get out first. His fate would wait later.

He didn't mean to lie to her, but for the sake of her life and safety, he decided to do the thing that would hurt her again, as long as she wasn't physically hurt. He had sworn his life for it.

Only twenty six second left when he stayed in his lying position and witnessed Aoko jumped off the deck to safety. Once he divided the countdown by the five-times speed, he only had around five human seconds to run. Takes one second to get up. One second to-

He didn't remember running. In fact, he didn't remember _anything_. The only thing he could feel with his six senses once he gained consciousness of his surrounding was the faint sound of crying, his chest hurts a lot, and he felt something on his lips.

In the next moment, Aoko was crying into his shoulder.

His mother flew back on the fastest plane when she heard the news and came to the hospital the next morning with Jii. The doctor had to pull her away from his bed before more damage was done, but Kaito personally requested to have one little hug, just because he needed it from her too. He didn't know if he regretted it or not as she was starting to get addicted to hugging him ever since then.

Kaito hadn't met Aoko all these while. Even though he didn't really ask for her presence on his hospital bed, Inspector Nakamori seemed to know it somehow and told him that she was resting and needed time to recover too. Honestly, he did intend to find her in his own ways, but knowing how this entire thing was his fault, he didn't have the courage to meet her. This must be the biggest scare of her life after all.

As his attention returned to the news reporter who was babbling about the things he already knew, his mother turned towards him with an impressive poker-face. She rarely showed one, unless she was serious about a particular matter. He naturally straightened his posture.

"Do you want to come to Las Vegas with me?"

He blinked.

"You're not a teen anymore. You've got to decide your future now." His mother continued the impassive stare. "The syndicate is finally dealt with once and for all and there's nothing for you to stay here. How about considering my suggestion?"

 _"About going back in the past... I don't know, or maybe I don't know how. I need more time."_

Kaito lowered his eyes to the remote in his hand, his thumb hovering over the replay button. If only life was just as easy as a simple push of a switch.

The doorbell rung just on time, cutting the silence that he didn't know how to break. His mother sighed and pushed herself off the couch and approached to the door.

"Did you order breakfast service?"

"Mom." He rolled his eyes at the screen. "We're not in a hotel for goodness's sake."

The sound of the door swung open and Kaito was expecting those typical high-pitched voice coming from the ever-energized salesperson, instead, he heard his mother's surprised yelp.

"Oh! It's my daughter-in-law!"

Kaito almost choked. He spun around in his seat, a pain shot through his body and his hand landed on his chest in attempts to calm himself down like an old man almost suffering from a heart attack. "Mom! What the hell?"

As expected, Aoko was standing at his doorsteps with bags and bags and _a lot of_ bags in her hands. She blinked at the warm welcome before the situation slowly began to register in her mind.

"Chikage-san! It's been long. Sorry that I didn't visit you sooner when you're in Japan."

"Oh no worries, you're here already aren't you? Come in." Chikage took some bags from her hands to lessen her burden.

"Thank you."

Aoko neatly set her shoes aside, saying a word of apology for intruding before her eyes fell upon him. She greeted with a smile and he returned a bigger one before she went over to help his mother pick out the groceries and ready-to-eat food from the plastic bags and onto the table. He then stood up from the sofa and trudged towards the dining table to sit on his new seat and watched the two women doing all the work.

After some seconds of fidgeting, Aoko finally seemed to build enough courage to ask him about something.

"Are you alright now?" She peered over him.

"Much better than before." He licked his lips, understanding and feeling the equal amount of pressure he had to overcome just to ask the same thing back. "You?"

"A little busy recently, there's many things I have on hand so that's why it took me so long to drop by. I've heard from my dad yesterday that you're discharged from the hospital, but I was stuck in a-"

"How are you feeling?" He didn't mean to cut her off. Perhaps she had misunderstood his question, to which he would apologize later if he had the chance. _Now_ , he really needed to know her well-being much more than her reasons for her busy schedules and such.

Aoko paused, lips parted and in the midst of searching for words. "I'm fine."

He didn't know what else to say.

"How sweet of you to buy all these, Aoko-chan." Chikage smiled, swiftly helping to break the little awkwardness that was rising in the air. "My poor son is probably going to starve himself to death by the time I found the nearest supermarket here. This shows how long I've been away."

"Don't worry about that." Aoko gave him a slightly accusing sidelong glance. "He'd survived a day without food just fine. That's what he always do anyway."

He sighed, too tired in the morning to say a thing to defend himself.

"Anyway... Did the doctor give you any medication or special instructions for the recovery process?" Aoko suddenly asked.

"A couple of pills that last for three months. Ice my ribs twice every day for twenty minutes. Walk is fine. No jogging or anything more than that." Kaito flicked his gaze over to his mother. "And no hugging."

"No _tight_ hugging." She argued.

Aoko simply nodded. He wasn't sure what she was nodding to. The pills? Walking? No tight hugging? Did she want a hug now? He would be more than willing to give her one if she wanted to, just because it was for _her_.

After all the things were being emptied, Aoko was prepared to head for the door. "Actually since Chikage-san is here, I'll leave first."

Kaito was about to stop her, or at least attempt _or_ hint _or_ do his stupid stunts to make her stay a little longer, but his mother beat him to it.

"I'm sure coming all the way here at such a timing, you haven't had breakfast right? Why not we have it together?"

"It's fine. Besides, today is one of my colleague's birthday and we're doing an early celebration over at my work place. I've got to go now or I'll be late. There's tons of food there so you don't have to worry about me."

All the words he was thinking as a backup plan to support his mother's decision died in his throat. Her excuse would have sounded believable for his mother who rarely talked to Aoko. But for Kaito, who recognized her speech patterns better than anyone he ever disguised, he knew her words sounded a little over scripted. Lack of feelings, stiff sentence structures... He instantly knew he was correct when she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, revealing the redness of it. Kaito sighed inwardly.

She still needed the time she wanted.

"Just-"

"Alright." Kaito interrupted his mother. "Sorry that I can't see you off today."

"No worries." Aoko waved a hand nonchalantly. "I promise I'll come around soon."

With that said, she turned and closed the door behind her.

Chikage stealthily took a seat across him, a little glint of mockery hinted in her eyes. "I'm a big failure of a mother, aren't I? I should have known the reason why you wanted to stay."

He tiredly showed a wry smile. "It depends if I'm welcomed to."

His mother didn't have the heart to continue the conversation.

.o.

It had been the busiest month for Aoko, ever. Having to juggle her time between coming up with new recipes for her upcoming classes and coping with the current batches of students, running back and forth from Kaito's home to hers at least thrice a week was just an addition to her exhaustion.

Once she knew Kaito's mother left for Las Vegas after half a month of her stay, Aoko just couldn't bear to know that he would be home alone by himself. She remembered him telling her a long time ago about how he actually liked it because he could do whatever he want, but knowing that he would be eating instant noodles and going on with his unnatural sleeping habits, there was no way in hell Aoko could trust him to take care of himself, especially when he _really_ needed the care.

She was still a tad bit awkward and foreign for frequently visiting the place she once called her second-home, and the fact that she always had to remember the way she discovering Kaitou Kid's room and how Kaito nearly died in her arms twice was definitely not helping. But as time passed, she was eventually more accustomed to her routines. Her stays were longer, her nagging turned louder and take-away food became home-cooked food. Her dad even dropped by to eat when he was free.

Aoko was certainly not lacking in nutrients when she was eating all the good food she cooked for Kaito, but the lack of sleep was a torture. She didn't know if she should be happy that this heavy-eyebags period was soon over when Kaito had his last check up for his injured rib cage and was finally deemed fine by the doctors. Ever since then, she didn't have any reason to go back to her old neighbourhood anymore. Or at least that was what she told herself.

Now in her sanctuary, the place where she developed her interest and found new friends, Aoko placed her piping bag aside on the table and wiped an invisible sweat off her brow. The baking studio was empty, a rare time for her to do what she needed. And after much tampering and editing of the ingredients and methods, this was what she finally came up with.

She shifted the pink wrapper of a cupcake on the plate for better presentation and sighed. This was the fifth time she had struggled on the same recipe, and despite all her good drafts and edited instructions, she hoped her recent poor concentration wasn't going to be the cause of her possibly over-spending on crafting and perfecting her recipes again next time.

 _"Do you think we can ever go back to the time when we're together again?"_

Kaito had made a clear move and said everything so clearly. So now, she _should_ be making the first step because he would be doing nothing to her again, for the sake of the time he promised he would give her because she asked for it. And it had been over a month since she realized and was sure of her feelings for him (again), yet she had done _absolutely_ nothing about it other than showing her typical concern like a _friend_... _And_ stupidly staring at her old photo albums that she couldn't bear to throw away. _And_ pitifully remembering scenes from the past. _And_ pathetically going to places they once spent together. _And_ cuddling on her bed and wondering why she was so timid and coward to admit the simplest thing she could ever said.

 _Just great._ Aoko groaned inwardly.

"Something new?"

Her head shot up to the direction of the door, eyes widened at the very said man she was thinking a millisecond ago. Was this a dream, a hallucination for thinking about him _too much_? She wordlessly watched him snaked his way past the desk to stand beside her, his eyes fixated on the food on the table. He must be real. There was no way her imagination could picture him this masculine, tall, with such fine broad shoulders and-

 _Why is my heart beating so fast?_ She rubbed the back of her neck. _Get a hang of yourself Nakamori Aoko!_

"Yeah. Part of what I'm preparing f-for the newer students."

"It looks interesting."

"Why are you here anyway?" She unconsciously stared at his shirt. Instead of seeing what her eyes should see, it was like she gained some X-ray vision and perfectly imagined his firm, flawless chest that she remembered staring when she prepared and gave him the ice packs to press on his wound during her time at his house. Aoko could never, ever forget those brief awkward tensions between them as their fingers brushed against each other when she exchanged new ice packs for the old ones with him. It was just _fingers_ and a _bare chest_ and things already became so complicated.

 _Oh my God Aoko..._

She wondered if he'd noticed her crazy behaviour recently.

"I'm meeting a charity organizer with Jii-chan nearby later. Since I'm passing by, I thought of trying my luck to see if you're here."

"Oh." Aoko used all the energy in her body to look into his eyes. "Is your ribcage...?"

"It's all healed."

"That's good." She chided herself mentally for giving such a worthless answer.

Kaito pointed at one of the cupcakes. "Can I have one?"

Aoko would be more than glad. She nodded calmly, trying to refrain herself from acting like a happy idiot.

He picked up the one with the most buttercream frosting and Aoko shook her head inwardly at the unintentional observation. He peeled off the wrapper a little, just enough for him to take one mouthful without eating the paper. He chewed a couple of times before halting all of the sudden and turned to look at her with mild surprise.

"What's this?"

"It's a chrysanthemum-tea flavoured cupcake. I'm still thinking of a better name in the future." Aoko paused when Kaito began inspecting the cupcake in his hand, his two eyes focusing hard, seeming as if he had the power to analyse the content. "I've used the tea leaves with my special mixture and also honey to make the buttercream."

She was expecting (or hoping) that he would take a second bite, but he showed no attempt in wanting to do so. The more confident she was in her baking skill compared to her cooking skills, the more she was afraid to try her own creation and hear what the taster had to say. Even if his teasing remarks did bruise her ego a little, it was still better off than his mysterious silence now. Was it... bad? Was it... _super_ bad? She uncertainly glanced down at remaining cupcakes and then at the rest of the ingredients she hadn't used to bake.

After an eternity, he finally took a bite again before nodding to himself and her eyes lit up to his reaction.

Kaito snorted.

"W-What's so funny?"

"The way you look when you're watching people taste your food is ridiculous."

Aoko scowled and crossed her arms in a defensive mode. But her anger was washed away as fast as the count of one and she seriously stared at him. She would rather focus on her main worry now. "Is it bad? I've used more natural sweetness than sugar, so was it not to your taste?" Her own words struck her in some sense and she widened her eyes and tried to snatch the cupcake from his hand. She wasn't just concerned that Kaito was tasting something he didn't like for her, but it was also for the sake of wanting him to remember her as a great baker and not a failure just because she didn't meet his expectation this time.

Kaito refused to let her take it away from him. "It's perfect." He finally said.

Jaws dropped. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah." He took a bite to emphasize his point. "It tasted just right for me; The soft texture, the sweetness... Everything about it is amazing."

Aoko couldn't believe it. Kaito had never once complimented her to this extent about anything that was related to the food she made, be it from cooking or baking. The word _perfect_ was probably the most she ever got from him in her entire life.

"But..."

"But what?" She interjected when she realized he hadn't finished what he had to say.

The side of Kaito's lip curled up a little. "It tastes familiar. I was wondering where I've tasted it before."

Aoko blinked. "Really?" She was almost confident that it would be an original recipe. Had she not searched the web enough to find that there was one who had beaten her first to this idea? Though a little deflated, she smiled. At least she tried something that was new for her and Kaito liked it. Perhaps it was good enough, or maybe it would've been better if this was the first time he tried this unique taste. She shook her head to get rid of those unnecessary thoughts. "Have you remembered where you've tasted it?"

Kaito considered for a moment before taking another bite on the soft and fluffy cupcake. "I think so. Let me check."

"Check?"

He gently wrapped his warm hand around her nape and pulled her down, his lips pressing softly onto hers.

Butterflies. Bees. Birds. Aoko had no idea what was fluttering in her stomach, but she knew it was something she didn't mind. In fact, she liked it more than she could ever love something. No. It was something she loved second, after Kuroba Kaito.

Aoko leaned towards him, her eyes slowly closed as she felt his hand moved to her back, doing his part to pull her in. His sweet lips, minty breath... When he finally broke away, she felt weirdly as if she had lost something.

Kaito then picked up his half-eaten cupcake he left on the table and ate it again. "So that's where I've tasted it before."

"I..." Her head lowered. She didn't need a mirror to know how red her face was. "I...We..."

He lifted her chin and they made eye contact. She would have glanced away if her mind was able to control her nerves now. "Sorry," Kaito's smile grew bigger. He looked completely unapologetic. "I've got it on you too." His thumb reached over and swiped the cream off her lips.

She was barely alive, but once she saw how Kaito began licking the residue off his thumb, she was officially dead.

 _Can't breathe. Can't breathe!_

"Oh shit. I'm late." He suddenly sighed at the clock that was hanging on the wall over her head. "Jii-chan's probably going to scold me again."

Kaito finished his cupcake with another bite and grabbed a new one from the plate. "I'll take another. To remember the taste." With that, he skipped out of the door and turned at the very last second to give a wave before disappearing down the corridor. Aoko's legs were wobbly, but she managed to stand for an amazing five minutes of silence before she tiredly leaned against the table, completely defeated.

 _What he did... to me..._

She glanced down at the cupcakes. Her mouth twitched, instantly remembering the lingering touch he left behind on her mouth, both from his lips and thumb. Shaking her head, she reached over to one and took a heartfelt bite, savouring the taste. As a baker, she should be analysing whether she had used too much butter to outshine the taste of chrysanthemum, or if she should use less whip cream to make the smell of honey stronger. But all she could think was the taste.

The taste of her own lips that Kaito said.

"Really?" Aoko frowned and took a second bite. "Do I actually taste like tea and vanilla honey?"

Soon, she decided, she would ask him again.

.o.

.

.

.

It was a warm day, a perfect time to crack open some fizzy drink to sooth the throat.

Shinichi professionally approached his fridge even when his eyes were fixated on Ran's back, her butt swaying to the rhythm of her humming as she was chopping her ingredients for tonight's dinner. He tried to hide a smile, but seriously, who could?

His eyes only glanced away for a brief moment when he noted a light blue envelope he didn't see in the morning when he went to work. Nothing ever missed his eyes.

"What's this?" He set his drink on the counter and pluck the magnet away to take the envelope. Ran turned, puzzlement soon turned to a cheerful smile.

"It's a wedding invitation!" She wiped her hands against her apron and gleefully joined him in a round of staring at the envelope. Ran rolled her eyes and took the paper from his hand. "Are you trying to guess who it's from? _Sherlock Holmes_."

"Nakamori-san, right?"

"How do you know that?"

"You've just back from your baking classes and the closest person you know there who will sent an invitation is only her."

Ran nodded impressively before she gave a snicker. "But there's no way you'll know who the groom is though."

"Kuroba Kaito." He almost said immediately. He didn't attempt to make it sound like he guessed it.

"No way!" She pulled out the silver letter out of the envelope and scanned over the names before looking back at her husband. "Have you peeked inside?"

"You know I don't cheat when I'm using my detective skills." Shinichi cracked opened the soda and gave a sip, feeling the sizzling tingling in his mouth. He let himself enjoy the little cute frown on Ran's face before deciding to finally explain himself. "I've met them together once during a case. Remember the bombed yacht on the news nearly a year ago? They're involved."

"Seriously?! Nakamori-san never mention anything though..." Ran cupped a hand over her mouth, horrified. "But I supposed everything is fine now, right?"

"The culprit was caught and the rest are history."

"Are they already a couple back then?"

"I don't think so. I just thought they were quite..." Shinichi wrinkled his nose, unsure of what to say. He was skilled in observing suspects' reactions to questions and the way they portrayed themselves, which gave him clues to know who the murderer was. But those two were not suspects, and definitely not murderers. They just looked like lost children, cradling and supporting each other because their life heavily depended on this connection and they would _die_ if one of them let go. Yes. That was the first thought that went through his mind when he saw them on the burning dock.

"They were quite meant for one another, right?" Ran finished his sentence as she chuckled and stared softly at the letter.

"Have you met him before?"

"He always comes to pick Nakamori-san after her lessons. Oh Oh! Do you know how he proposed?" Ran bubbled in glee. He mildly wondered if she was just as excited when she shared to other people about how _he_ proposed _to her_ on their favourite roller coaster from Tropical Land.

Before he could guess, she already continued. "I've heard from Kyoko-san that he transformed the whole baking classroom into a flower garden filled with roses, lilies, daisies, chrysanthemums- All of every kind! " She cleared her throat. "But the highlight was that the cake Nakamori-san was baking to teach turned into a diamond ring!"

Alright. Shinichi was totally lost. "How-" He choked. "How the hell did he do that?"

"He's a magician!"

"A magician...?"

"Yeah!"

Why was his detective sense tingling at the back of his head?

"Nakamori-san is such a pleasant person and Kuroba-kun seems cool too." Ran smiled. "But when they're together, they become like a completely different person, in a good way that shows how true they can be when they are around each other." She looked up at him. "They kind of reminded me of us."

Shinichi shrugged. He would've agreed with her about the comparison, but he would prefer thinking that their relationship was the most unique one of all.

"So when's the wedding?"

"In a month and a half time. Nakamori-san asked for you to join too if you're free."

"I'll see."

Ran stuck the envelope back on the fridge and went back to being busy with her cooking again. Shinichi gave one last glance at the invitation, a brief horrific memory of how his own wedding turned out after Kaitou Kid appeared flashed across his mind. He shuddered at the thought and wondered why that incident from so long ago suddenly came out of nowhere.

He narrowed his eyes.

Shinichi decided that he would _definitely_ go to the wedding.

.end.

* * *

A silly one-shot idea of the cupcake scene turned horrifically wrong and this 9 chapter fic appeared instead. It had been a great ride from the beginning to the end and it always feels satisfying once a story finally finished. And of course, how can I forget to thank YOU GUYS who read everything and even my rambling here. Hopefully you've enjoyed the story and its ending and reviews would be appreciated!

Hope to see you soon (again)!


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